Finding Home Again
by Mariavc
Summary: It's been 2 years since the last time Grant Ward saw Skye. She promised to find him but she never did. Now there's no way to know if she's alive, if she survived Ultron's war. Grant knows that if he ever gets a second chance, he would never loose her again because Skye was the only home he ever knew. Skyeward AU. Age of Ultron AU. This is a sequel to "THE DEBT"
1. Chapter 1

**PLEASE READ:**

This is sequel to one of my other fic "THE DEBT" you can find it in my profile. If you don't want to read the other one (come on...you know you can do it) **here's a summary:**

AU, where Skye always had fait in Ward, even after he stole the hard drive and was revealed as an Hydra agent. The whole team goes to fight Garrett and Skye ends up being tortured and even getting shot. Ward manages to help her escape and fights and kills Garrett. While the compound is about to fall down Skye and Grant meet again and fight when he made her think that he had killed Coulson. Ward is severely injured and is dying, but the team saves his life with Skye's help. She realizes that he had saved her life before and returns the favor by helping him escape and getting him a new identity to start a new life. Grant is now a Shield fugitive but he keeps going because of Skye's promise to find him again. (That's for The Debt)

**Now THIS FIC… takes place after some kind of Age of Ultron's AU… where the machines attacker the world and started a war that destroyed many of the major cities.**

I don't own any of these amazing characters.

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**FINDING HOME AGAIN**

He waited.

The first couple of months were hell, a man with his skills working at a coffee shop in a little town in Massachusetts sounded kind of ridiculous, even for the ordinary Thomas Edwards, of course she had to use Tom Brady's names… somehow… to create his new identity.

He tried to keep his mind busy. Ho got a job and rented a little apartment. He was thrilled to find out that Thomas Edwards had a credit history, social security, even a license, everything to establish his new life.

But now he was more interested in other things. The first item he bought was a laptop. He opened a facebook page, twitter, youtube, instagram, and every single kind of social network he could find, even if he didn't have any friends or contacts, he just had to be there, for her to find him.

So he waited… for a sign, for something. He kept his laptop on, every day and every night, waiting for Skye to contact him, but she never did.

He wasn't done yet, even after two years he still had hope, but no one could predict what happened next: The war.

Half of the country was invaded, attacked by a brutal force: Ultron. The war lasted for months; even the Avengers didn't seem to be able to contain such destruction, then the world needed soldiers. He wasn't Thomas Edwards; he was Grant Ward, a soldier.

When he enlisted half of him was hoping that he could see her again, maybe get in contact with Shield somehow; but the other half just wanted to give up, maybe meet his destiny and put an end to his life fighting. Like a hero.

He came back home when it was over, like a hero indeed, but still alive. They had won, but now he had lost all hope. Now he didn't even know if she was alive. Shield came back, Shield fought the war and Skye was with them.

Back in his stupid apartment everything felt as empty as always. He just had a bed and a chair, some clothes and his laptop, but communications had not been restored since the machines took over, so what was the point?

He looked for some cheap bottle of whiskey he had. Even if Skye was alive she had no way to contact him. Maybe she never wanted to see him again, maybe she was just dead.

He stared out the window. Everything seemed so normal. Mashpee survived the war when the machines focused on the big cities and not little towns like this one; at least he still had a place to come back to, even if he didn't have a reason. It was early in the afternoon when he closed his eyes, holding an empty bottle. He had a celebration act to attend to, along with some other soldiers who had survived, but he didn't want to go, he just wanted to sleep.

* * *

"Hey, Tom! Is nice to have you back, man. I missed you at the town hall?" One of his neighbors said when he saw him in the hallway "Are you ok?"

"My name is Grant" He muttered, feeling a little dizzy.

"What did you say? Hey… Tom?" The older man grabbed his arm "It's kind of late, they are telling us to stay at home until everything is back to normal"

Grant looked at the hand grabbing his bicep and then back to the man "Don't. ever. Touch. me"

He walked away in silence. He needed to find more alcohol, somewhere. Now they were living in a new world, and he wasn't prepared to start a life again, to accept the fact that he wouldn't see her again and live another boring day.

He walked down the dark streets, but everything was closed. Maybe he would just break in one of the stores and find a bottle.

In that moment he felt it, a gun against his back. That pour soul had made a big mistake.

"Ok, pretty boy, it's time to empty your pockets… and don't turn around"

It had to be the alcohol running through his veins and now getting to his head. He just laughed.

"What are you laughing at? You dickhead! I'll shoot you"

He stopped laughing. He wasn't that crazy, not yet. It was Skye's voice. And whatever she was using to poke him, it wasn't a gun... he was to drunk to notice immediately. He turned to see her. He had to see.

And there she was, Skye, wearing a hoodie, holding a wooden stick and looking scared. Before she could run he pulled her for a hug. He clung to her, as she was all the air he needed to live.

"Oh my God, you're alive, you're here" He pressed her tiny body against his with all his strength, not realizing how uncomfortable she was, or that she was trying to push him away.

She managed to pull one of her arms free and hit him with her wooden stick as hard as she could. He let her go and she started running.

"No, no! stop!" He chased her "Please, wait… SKYE!" Grant yelled and she froze in her place immediately, turning around to face him again.

"How did you just call me?"

"Skye" He said with eyes filled with tears "What's happening?"

"How do you know my name?" Her grip on the stick tightened. She moved closer to him, slowly.

"What are you talking about? Skye, it's me, Ward" He tried to touch her but she pulled away. She looked scared, confused. "Grant... It's me, Skye. Please, what are you doing?"

She stopped "I'm sorry… I don't know you"

"What?" He felt his heart broke as she started to walk away from him again. Not again. What was happening? She looked scared, scared of him. She didn't recognize him, why? "Wait! No… Do you need money? I can give you money… or food, whatever you need! Don't go!"

"Why? Or better… why should I trust you?"

"Because you already do. You are... Please, just don't go. You shouldn't be alone. It could be dangerous"

"Says the one who was about to rob a liquor store? And I noticed you're drunk by the way. So thanks, but no thanks, weirdo" She was about to leave when he spoke again.

"Do you have a place to stay?"

"Wow… I'm not that desperate, really"

He ignored her and took a step forward "Is it a van? A blue one?" Skye frowned; he continued "Why are you here?"

He was about to speak again when they heard the sound of a car approaching, probably the military patrol.

"Shit" She said, "If I go with you, will you tell me why do you know all this stuff?"

"Yes"

She hesitated for a second "Don't try anything"

"I swear you're safe with me. Come on"

He offered his hand but she didn't take it. Skye just followed him to his building, a few blocks away. She sill had her doubts. She had never trusted a stranger, even a really hot one, but there was something about this guy, and he seemed to have answers. That's what Skye really needed… answers.

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**That's all for now, pleas tell me what you think so far :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks for reading and please leave your feedback, it's very much appreciated :)**

She swallowed thickly as they were walking upstairs. Everything was so silent. She still had the stick and there was a knife in her boot. She would use it if necessary.

The man… Ward opened the door of his apartment and walked in first. She followed him, checking if there were windows or any other escape routes. It was in the second floor so she could jump, maybe. The place was very…basic. Just a table next to a little kitchen, a bed and a couple of closed doors, maybe bathroom and closet, she thought.

"I have pasta… and tuna, I think… are you hungry?" He still felt drunk, he wasn't entirely sure that this wasn't a dream.

She just nodded.

"Nice… place" She said sarcastically while she blew the dust on a laptop he had on a little table.

"I was out of town" He said, trying to make the gas work in the kitchen.

Then she saw it. His uniform, lying on his bed "Oh my god… you were in the war, against the machines" Then she spotted an empty bottle of whiskey on the floor. "I thought they were honouring all our local heroes… today, but you weren't there"

"No, I wasn't" He replied in a sad voice from the little kitchen area. She sat on his bed.

"Did you loose someone?"

He swallowed and stopped moving for a second "I think I did, but it was long before the war"

"So Grant, was it?"

"Yeah?"

"Why does your uniform say T. Edwards?"

When he turned to face her she had a knife in one hand. He sighed, "I wont hurt you" He put his hands up.

"But you're lying to me"

"Thomas Edwards, that's the identity _you_ gave me" She frowned "Because of Tom Brady…" He added with a sad smile "You asked me who would I be with a clean slate… I told you that I would be Tom Brady"

She frowned "What are you even talking about?"

"You are here because you want to know how do I know your name, right? I know you, Skye. And you know me. I'm Grant Ward, that's my real name, that's the one you erased from existence. I swear I don't know why you don't remember me, but I'm pretty sure you know that I won't hurt you, I would never do that"

She nodded slowly "Ok let's talk, Grant Ward… don't move!" she yelled when he walked closer.

"I'll just sit in here" He put his right hand up while moving the chair next to the dinning table with the other. He moved slowly, trying not to scare her.

"Ok, pull the chair. Sit away from the table"

He sighed but obeyed. "I don't know what happened. The last time I saw you was… 2 years and 3 months ago, in Minnesota. Well, I didn't know we were there until I found a gas station. You left me in the middle of nowhere. I guess there was a Shield base somewhere nearby. You drove around 1 and a half hours"

She just looked even more confused.

He continued "Before that you saved me, with your blood. I was shot and I was dying. I made you believe that Coulson was dead and I shot you, in your leg, so you could escape from Garrett… I know that doesn't make sense, but I was desperate" He just kept mentioning things until she could remember something, but she was absolutely lost, like he was speaking in another language. "You had orders to put me in jail but you gave me a second chance, Skye, you have to remember, We were in your van and you helped me escape. You said you had to come back to the team, I begged you to come with me"

She frowned "Man, I thought you were just creepy, but you're crazy, really. You have serious issues. Maybe it was the war, they say the soldiers never come back to be the same"

He sighed again, now frustrated "What did they do to you?" He mumbled.

"They who?"

"I don't know, Shield?"

"Shield like in the-dudes-who-fought-with-the-Avengers Shield? How do I have something to do with them?"

"You have everything to do with them!" He stood up "Coulson, May, Fitzsimmons, they were our team. You _are _a shield agent"

Skye chuckled, but she seemed nervous "I can't believe that, sorry. It's a very nice story, you have an incredible imagination, seriously…it's admirable; but… I think I'm gonna go now"

"Well, I can't let you go. _This_ happened for a reason, Skye. I can't loose you again" He approached her.

She looked at the door, then the window and seemed a little nervous. She had to get out, but how?. She looked tense, but suddenly her body relaxed a little and she smiled "Were you talking about me?"

"What?"

She raised and eyebrow "That person you lost, before the war? It was me…" Skye added with a very low voice, almost a whisper.

She caught him off his guard. One second she was all scared and paranoid and then she was close to him… talking like that.

"You missed me, Grant?" She said his name while she moved a hand over his chest and he just lost it.

Ward nodded, and moved his hands to her waist, he was finally touching her, it was Skye, alive and in front of him. It was real. He didn't move until she had a hand on his neck a pulled him down for a kiss. When his lips touched hers he felt his heart beating again, for the first time in years. She was still the same and he loved her the same.

Unfortunately… it didn't't last long. The next thing he felt was a very hard blow on the back of his head and then everything went dark.

The next morning he felt the sun on his face. He felt the hangover and then he started remembering everything. Was it a dream? Maybe he was just crazy, drunk and crazy.

But then he tried to move his hand to rub his face. He couldn't It was all too blurry, but he could recognize the feeling of handcuffs on his wrist. What had happened?

When he managed to open his eyes there was a blurry figure moving in his kitchen.

Everything was real. It was Skye.

His first reaction was to jump out of the bed, but again… the handcuffs on his right wrist prevented him from moving.

He growled.

"Morning!" she said.

"What did you do?" Grant mumbled, feeling a terrible headache now.

"Come on, It wasn't all me… you were very much drunk, so you passed out… after… well, after I hit you really hard on the head with a pot" She walked to the bed and sat in a corner without looking at him. She sighed.

"Why did you do that!"

"The truth?... You got all creepy saying that you couldn't let me go and I freaked out man, you can't just say that to a girl. So I decided to run"

"Then why are you still here?" He managed to get into a sitting position and she finally looked at him.

"I kissed you"

"Yeah, and not just that" He muttered; now feeling the pain in the back of his head too.

"I think… you're telling the truth" He didn't't answer. In fact, he wasn't sure he was following her logic. "Look, this will sound super stupid, but… I've been feeling like something is not right, I… I don't remember things, and sometimes I remember stuff that just doesn't make sense. I know that something is missing, that something is really wrong with me and… when I kissed you. That… that felt right, ok? But I hit you really hard, man I thought I had killed you" He smiled and Skye rolled her eyes "Stop that, I still can cut you"

"I think I need to know your part of the story. And maybe you can get these off?" He said moving his right hand up… as much as the handcuffs let him.

"Right… I found those" She smiled and took the key out of her pocket. "Kinky" she said with a smirk while setting him free.

Grant chuckled. She was just the same, even if she didn't remember him… And he had missed her so much.

"So, can we talk about the elephant in the room?" She said while he was rubbing her now free wrist. She was standing in front of him, and he noticed that she was blushing a little. "We were… I mean, you and me… did we have a thing?"

He smiled "Not exactly. I did very bad things. A lot happened" He sighed, "You know when people say it's complicated? Well,_ this_ is complicated"

"Uhm… so, is it true that you shot me or something?... I do have a scar on my leg"

He sighed "Well, yes… but I think we need to talk about this from the beginning. We didn't eat yesterday-"

"You didn't" She interrupted and made him smile.

"Ok… still, we can buy some food and have breakfast. Is that ok?" She nodded "I'll have a quick shower" He walked to his closet and grabbed clean clothes "Please don't run or try to attack me, ok?"

Skye smiled shyly and nodded.

Later, Grant left her to take a shower too and change her clothes while he got out to buy food. When he got back she was wearing one of his black t-shirts and sweat pants.

"Do you realize that you just wear black, white or gray?"

"We could go grab something from your van for you if you want"

"I sold it… My van" She said with a sad look on her face "I just have a couple of things… I rented a room"

"It's… ok, you can stay here. I mean… " He swallowed "I'll stay on the couch… I'll buy a couch"

She chuckled "Thanks. I really appreciate it"

"We're a team" He smiled, and then he proceeded to cook breakfast. "I couldn't get much, they're just selling small rations of food, at least until everything is back to normal. This should last for a couple of days"

"It's ok" She sat on the table "So… everything you said last night, was it true?"

"Yes"

"I'm a shield agent?"

"Last time I checked. What do you remember?... About your life"

"Well… I… grew up in an orphanage, you know, your sad little orphan classic tale. Then I ran, I was on my own for…. I don't know, 8 years… I met a guy…"

"Of course you remember that part"

She smiled "You knew that?"

"Let's say we all had the pleasure to meet your guy" Grant said while he continued cooking.

"Ok… then I moved to L.A., got my van got a stupid job. Then I moved to New York after the aliens invaded it because… how cool was that? I mean, I had to see it, but there was nothing out of the ordinary so I got another stupid job and well… Ultron happened and they evacuated everything. I ended up here shortly after the war started but I didn't have much money and you know, the shortage, everything got so damn expensive…"

"So you sold your van and started robing nice guys?"

"Kinda" She smiled "I never hurt anyone… well, just a little, but just really bad people. Living in a van is not a good thing for a lady"

He looked at her "Is that all?"

"Yeah… but I keep thinking that all I remember from L.A. and New York is the same routine, everyday… It's just weird, like I lived the same day everyday or something like that?... and then I started remembering some… British people, but I don't know any Brits… In fact, I just don't know people… I don't remember meeting anyone after Miles… I mean, I had to meet people right?... If I had jobs… I had a boss, coworkers, whatever"

"British people, you said?"

"Yeah, does that ring any bells?"

"Many. And you're right, none of that happened. You never lived in New York. I met you in L.A."

"How's it possible?. You said that a year ago I was in Minnesota and I was just fine… Can people just play with someone's head like that?"

"It is. We've seen something like that before"

"So what do we do?"

"We find our team. They have to fix it"

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**Chapter 3 is coming but I need to know what you think so far :)**


	3. Chapter 3

They spent the day trying to put the pieces back together, trying to understand what had happened to Skye, or why. She started to feel safe around Grant… there was something about him. And even if she couldn't believe some of the stories he had told her, they made more sense than half of the stuff that she remembered about her life.

"So, this Coulson dude. He's the boss… he died? Like died _died_"

"And they brought him back, erased all his memories, then they replaced them to make him forget about the treatment"

"That's just horrible" she sat next to him on the bed, he couldn't help but smile. Just a few hours ago she came back into his life, not knowing him, threatening him with a knife, and now she was comfortable around him, talking to him like she never left. "What?" she smiled.

"I'm so happy you're back" He let out. He didn't want to push her, so he wanted to keep his feelings under control, but it was too real to ignore it. He never realized how important she was in his life until she wasn't there anymore. And seeing her smile again was too overwhelming; she was trying to make him feel better. He could still see her eyes trying to figure out who he was, but she wouldn't say anything, she wouldn't hurt him.

"I wish I could remember…" Skye said, like se was reading his mind.

"It's ok" He smiled "This is better than nothing… I thought you were dead" He touched her hand and this time she didn't pull away, so he grabbed it. He barely remembered how she had kissed him the night before, and he really wanted to kiss her again, she was just there… so close, looking at his lips. He cleared his throat "So… Coulson. They did this thing to him" He pulled his hand back "But he would never do that to you. He really cared about you, like a father"

Something sparkled in her eyes "Like a father?"

"Yes, he would never let something like that happen to you"

"What if he had a good reason?"

"But then why would he let you go alone… hold on a second. You remember running away from New York when the machines attacked, right?" Skye nodded "But you never lived in New York, I mean, we don't know if you came here on your own or if you just remember it"

"What are you getting at?"

"It's just a big coincidence… I mean, you ended up here, why?"

"And you were living here…" She added.

"Maybe he had a good reason and he had to protect you… Maybe he found me, and he sent you here because he knew I would protect you"

"So…"

"The war ended, and you appeared here, and I found you… this has to mean something"

"We really need to find this team"

"Wait, what if he really sent you away for a reason?"

"So what? I can't spend the rest of my life like this" She frowned.

"But it could be dangerous if we just show up. Also we're just tapping in the dark here"

"Come on, what could be so important about me? We need answers" She said and he avoided her eyes. He remembered what Raina had told him years ago… about Skye's parents.

"But I'm not putting your life at risk for some answers"

"Oh but it is MY LIFE, Ward, and my answers… my decision" She stood up and her voice grew louder.

Grant sighed "Ok, we can think about something just… maybe we can contact them in a safe way"

"And how?"

"What do you mean how? I have a laptop…"

She frowned "So what? You have their email?"

When he was about to ask someone knocked on his door. He panicked.

"Hide!" He whispered.

"What? Why? Come on, no one is looking for us"

"We don't know. Hide" He said with authority and then pulled a gun out from under his bed. Skye took a step back.

He walked to the door and waited for her to hide in the bathroom.

He opened.

"Tom!... wooooow!" Said his neighbour; clearly panicked when he saw the gun "It's just me!"

"What are you doing?" He said putting the gun down.

"I don't know, I heard voices. I wanted to check on you, you just came back. Is somebody here?"

"No, Mr. Harris, You can go. I'm just… tired, I want to be alone"

The man frowned "Are you sure? They are organizing a celebration, you know… you could use some distraction"

"I'm just fine"

"But-"

Grant closed the door "Thanks Mr. Harris"

"Wow, now that was very rude" Skye's voice surprised him; she was sitting on his bed.

"I told you to hide!"

"I did, but it was just your very nice, worried neighbor"

Grant sighed, "Skye, this is… important" He said after taking a few seconds to pick the right word.

"You mean me?" She said, and he nodded.

"I just don't trust people" she smiled and he continued "And I've never liked him"

"Still. You just pulled a gun on your poor neighbor, which leads me to…. You have a freaking gun!"

"Of course I do"

"Have you ever killed someone?" She asked an he smiled "Why is it funny?"

"We had this conversation before"

"And?"

"I have" He swallowed "The first time I told you that I had killed high risk targets, who wanted to hurt good people, but I have killed good people too. I'm a killer"

Skye nodded in understanding, she looked hurt "Have I?"

"What?"

"Killed someone?"

Gran just shook his head "Not that I know. You were always better than me" He added with a sad smile.

"Well, you're not that bad. You can't be. I can see it"

He swallowed "I… I'm really tired. I'll need a pillow"

"Uhm… are you going to sleep on the floor?"

"Believe me, I've slept in worst places"

"Your bed is very big, I mean… I don't mind sharing it. It's your bed after all. I should be the one sleeping on the floor."

"I don't think that's appropriate"

She chuckled "Come on, grandpa. I'm tired, so are you. I won't bite"

He smiled and went to the bathroom to change his clothes. When he came back Skye was half asleep and occupying just a little portion of his queen sized bed. He didn't even have to touch her. He wouldn't dare.

He accommodated himself on the bed and started falling asleep quickly… until he felt her moving closer. Skye snuggled next to him, and then kissed his cheek softly.

"G'night" She whispered with a smile. She knew how he felt about her, it was pretty obvious, and even if she couldn't remember him she felt safe around him, just…. happy, maybe she used to have feelings for him too, and she really wanted to remember.

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**Please don't forget to leave your feedback.**


	4. Chapter 4

When he woke up he was sleeping on his side in the middle of the bed, holding a tiny body in his arms. He smiled when he felt her soft breath against the skin of his neck. He thought about every time he had wanted to die during the war, just letting a damn cyborg blow him to pieces. But he kept fighting and it was worth it just for a moment like this, with the only person he had loved in all his crappy life.

"I can hear you thinking. I know you're awake" She said and he chuckled.

"Sorry, I didn't want to wake you"

"And I didn't want to invade your personal space" She said moving her head back to look at him. "Sorry for that"

He just smiled, her hair looked like a mess, and her bright eyes and full smile were just contagious. She looked beautiful. Without thinking it twice he leaned in for a kiss, barely touching her lips with his, almost waiting for her to slap him, but her hand just went up to play with his hair and pull him closer., fully crashing her lips against his… and it was good. She bit his bottom lip softly when they had to take a quick breath, then he deepened the kiss and Skye let him, pressing her body against his. She moaned softly when he pulled away.

He looked hypnotized and Skye could swear that she had seen that expression before, it felt so familiar, like a déjà vu. But then his face changed from happiness to some sort of concern.

"I'm so sorry. I should've not… I know that you don't remember, and I can't push you, I-"

"Hey, hey" she smiled "It's ok, it was nice" she said touching his face softly "You know, maybe I don't remember whatever we were before, but it doesn't mean that I can't create new memories, right?"

He smiled and Skye continued "But you'll have to ask me out first… I mean, at least. I'm a lady"

His smile widened, he was even blushing a little and all Skye could think was how adorable he looked. "Can we go now?" Skye chuckled and he realized how needy it came out "I mean… we could use a couple of hours to relax, it's been hard for you… everything, what I told you… we could just…"

"I think it sounds great, but you'll have to go get my clothes"

Grant had to make a quick visit to the motel she was staying in before to get her belongings. It was just a box and a bag, some clothes, her hula doll, a couple of notebooks and some other things. The first thing he noticed, she didn't have her laptop…

He remembered when she told him what she remembered. Skye never mentioned the rising tide, or hacking into anything… She was even surprised to hear about Shield, when she had learnt to hack because of Shield in first place.

Then in his apartment, she didn't even touch his laptop once; she didn't say anything when he suggested contacting the team… she asked for their e-mail.

Crap.

When he came back Skye was waiting for him on his bed, with her hair still wet and wearing just one of his big t-shirts.

"Hey" She smiled "did you get everything?" She stood up

"Uhm?... yeah…" He blinked a few times trying to remember what he wanted to ask before letting her legs distract him "Where… where's your laptop?" Grant cleared is throat.

"What? I don't have a laptop" She took the bag from him and went to the bathroom while he just followed her with his gaze.

When she came back she was wearing a white shirt and jeans. "Much better" she frowned "What's wrong?"

"The laptop" He insisted "The Rising tide?" she looked even more confused. "Oh God"

"Is it important?"

"Very"

"I'm sorry" She looked sad.

He sighed and walked closer to her "We'll find a way. I still have contacts… and some money… we'll find them. It's not your fault, ok?… It's been a very… intense couple of days for you. Let's try to have some fun now, ok?"

She smiled "Is this a date?"

"Maybe it is"

* * *

Out in the town there was a big celebration. The war was officially over. Ultron destroyed and The Avengers had restored order after months of war. The world was celebrating as all the surviving soldiers came back to their homes and they started rebuilding the cities. The communications had been restored along with broadcast signals, starting with a speech from president Ellis and The Avengers in person.

The whole town was reunited to see the speech as many supply trucks were arriving to deliver food, medicines and different products.

"You know what?, I keep thinking that I've met Tony Stark" Skye said looking at the huge wall were they were projecting the speech for everybody.

"So, you don't remember me but you remember meeting Tony Stark?"

Skye chuckled "Well, he's a hottie, what can I say?"

Gran shook his head "This date is just going great" They started walking away from the crowd, holding hands and smiling at each other. "Do you want a drink? It's kind of our thing"

Before she could answer they bumped into someone.

"Oh…sor- Mr. Harris…" Grant said.

"Tom! I'm so sorry, I didn't see you" He said, looking at Skye "Excuse me, Have we met?" The man offered his hand.

"Her name is Susan" Grant said before Skye could introduce herself, while she shook Mr. Harris' hand

"Nice to meet you" Skye added.

"We were just leaving" Grant offered a fake smile

"Ok, you're one of our heroes, go have a nice day with this adorable lady" The man smiled and Skye frowned.

"Thanks" Ward took Skye's hand and started walking a little faster.

"Hey, could you stop for a second?"

"I keep bumping into this guy. I don't like it. He never was this nice" He finally stopped

"Well, he's got a creepy vibe but so did you when I met you"

"Exactly" He muttered and Skye's expression faded.

"Don't let him ruin our day" She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Let's just have a drink, ok?"

"Maybe we should stop having drinks" Grant grabbed her hand again "Bad things keep happening" But when he was ready to walk he caught a quick glimpse of a man hiding behind a wall. His eyes scanned the crowd. At least four other men were not paying attention to the speech. One of them moved a hand to his ear.

"Grant?" Skye asked.

"Shit" he muttered, "We have to go back, I have a motorbike. I'll set a distraction to disperse the crowd. Grab whatever you need once we get to the apartment, we don't have much time. Laugh"

"What?" She frowned.

"Come pretend to laugh, act normal" And he started to laugh, she did the same but still looked kind of nervous. Maybe in another life she was some badass shield agent but now she didn't remember anything but her life as a normal, boring person. She tightened her grip on his hand and they walked to his building. Once they were inside they started running upstairs.

"Just whatever you need, then fire escape" He said and Skye nodded. He had a bag ready in his closet; he just grabbed his gun. Skye had her bag already packed but he included her hula doll.

"I like it" He smiled "Now let's go"

In that moment, somebody kicked the door open, aiming a gun at him.

"Ward!" She yelled and he managed to push her under the bed. He grabbed the lamp and hit the gunman on his head, giving him enough time to reach him a tackle him to the floor. After a couple of quick punches the man was unconscious and bleeding through his nose.

"Ok, now we go"

Skye just nodded, scared. She climbed down the fire escape and he followed her. Next to the building there was an alley with his motorbike. He started the engine just when another guy was climbing down the stairs.

Ward drove towards the crowd. They were celebrating the end of the speech. He fired his gun to the air so everybody started running and screaming. They could hear the sirens, the chaos but just a few minutes later they were out of the town with no one chasing after them.

"Are you ok?" He finally asked

She just nodded, burying her face on his back, hugging him tight.

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**That's it for now, please tell me what you think... I'm pretty sure you will love the next chapter :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: This one will get smutty, I'm warning you :) Now enjoy!**

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They found an abandoned motel close to Boston. During the war isolated places like this one had worked as a shelter for refugees from the big cities, but now everybody was coming back and the place could work for the night. They found some food and decent beds to rest.

But Skye couldn't rest. She was terrified "What the hell happened back there?"

"I don't know. I lived there for a long time, I never saw something suspicious"

"Well, you could say that some dude trying to kill us was kind of suspicious, don't you think?" She sat on the bed while Grant was looking out the windows and closing the blinds.

"He wasn't trying to kill us. He could have shot the moment he saw us. He didn't. And I lived there for months, if they wanted me dead I would be dead by now"

"So, you are telling me that it was my fault?"

"No, of course not. They were waiting. They were spying on me" He checked on the door locks.

"Who? Your neighbor?"

"Probably"

"So, they put him in there just to wait until I showed up?"

"If" He corrected her.

"That could make sense. Maybe this Coulson guy had a reason to send me away after all"

"And he thought you would be safe with me, and here we are" Grant sighed in frustration, walking closer to her but avoiding her eyes.

Skye grabbed his hand, pulling him down so he could sit next to her "I'm safe with you"

Grant sighed again, he stared at her eyes, her big, beautiful, doe eyes, and then stroke her cheek softly "Maybe if you could remember everything you wouldn't feel that way"

"Well, you shot me, that explains the scar" She smiled "It's a horrible scar, but I don't care, really. Well, not that I don't don't care… but I don't remember, and it's in the past. It's just a scar..."

He swallowed "But you have others" He moved his hand down very slow, reaching the hem of her shirt. He pulled it up a little, just enough to see the scars on her flat stomach.

Skye frowned. "You did that?" she whispered.

"No. But I could have protected you. The man who ordered this… I worked for him" He pulled her shirt down again.

"I thought we were in the same team"

"There's something I haven't tell you" He took a deep breath and fixed his gaze on an imaginary point on the wall. If she was going to hate him he couldn't look her in the eye. Grant continued "I betrayed you, the whole team. Skye… I was a spy, I was…"

She nodded slowly and she moved a few inches away from him "You said you were trying to make things right"

"I tortured you... Because I had some stupid orders" He swallowed.

She felt how her eyes were filling with tears. She didn't even remember it but somehow, it hurt. She didn't even love that man, but somehow she did.

"I'm sorry Skye, I've failed you so many times. I let you get hurt, you almost died and even then I was a coward, I was weak, I should have stop him... but I was-"

"Garrett, that was his name right? You mentioned it. You said that I escaped from him"

"Yes" He shivered a little, all John Garrett did for him was making him the monster he was.

"What happened to him?"

"He made me choose, I chose you"

"I don't know what to think… you keep saying horrible things, but I don't remember any of that and somehow… it hurts"

"I can tell you that you really hated me. I remember the look in your eyes, I'll never forget that"

"You weren't kidding when you said we... were complicated"

"I understand if you want to hate me, I did horrible things Skye"

Skye looked at him again. She touched the scar on his right cheekbone. "Still, I gave you an opportunity to change. What was the last thing I said when I left you in the middle of nowhere?"

"You said you would find me" He answered with a sad smile.

"Seems like I did" She smiled and then grabbed his t-shirt and pulled him for a soft kiss. As she told him the first time, it felt right. It felt like home. She knew she had loved that man, she also knew he had hurt her "What did I do after I said I would find you?" She whispered against his lips. She could feel him smiling.

"We kissed"

She pulled back a little "That sounds romantic"

"That was hell, because I love you like crazy and I had to see you go after that" She froze for a second but it was too late to take it back, it was out there "I love you, Skye. I need you to know that"

"Maybe I already know it" She kissed him again, deeper, letting her heart take over, because even if her brain didn't remember him, her heart did. She could feel it beating faster, filling her with some kind of powerful emotion.

She moaned softly when he started kissing her neck, grabbing and pulling her hair at the same time. He laid her on the bed and she let him, she wanted him.

He moved his hand down to lift her shirt again.

"You almost died" He whispered while looking at her scars "You got shot, twice"

"Hey, don't do that. I'm here" She played with the short hair of his nape before pulling him back up.

Grant tried to smile and kissed her again, hungrily.

She grabbed the hem of his black t-shirt and pulled it up. She had to swallow hard at the sight of his shirtless torso. Skye could see the desire in his eyes and she was willing to bet he could see the same in hers. She wondered how a man like that was so damn attracted to her… not that she was ugly, but he was just… unreal. And still he was looking at her like she was the most important thing on earth, with pure adoration, combined with some sort of pain. Deep in his dark eyes she could see it, pain, bad memories, she wanted to erase wall that.

She took her own shirt off so he could kiss every inch of her skin, as he wanted. His hot mouth traveled down from her neck to her breasts and then her stomach, taking a moment to kiss her scars. He would never forgive himself for that.

Skye moaned his name when his hands went up to unclasp her bra, getting rid of it within seconds. She opened her eyes when he stopped touching her.

"What's wrong?" She said, almost out of breath, her hand slowly moving up his arm.

He returned her devilish smile "Absolutely nothing" He placed his hand over her stomach and moved it up to cup her right breast, rubbing her sensitive nipple with his thumb.

She closed her eyes again and arched her back, urging him to touch her, and so he did. His tongue met hot flesh and made her cry his name out loud when he took her other breast in his mouth.

He was so good with his mouth he was driving her crazy. Then he kissed her again, placing a hand on the back of her head, while his hot kisses reached her jaw and then her ear.

"I love you Skye" He said, completely out of breath.

She could feel his erection pressing against her, so she unbuckled his pants fast. Within seconds, her own jeans were joining his on the floor, along with their underwear.

He looked at the scar close to her knee, which was entirely his fault. He kissed it too while his index finger travelled down her leg, making her shiver.

Skye smiled at him, she sat on the bed. "I know what you're doing. Stop blaming yourself" She kissed him again, slow but deeper. He was sitting so she crawled onto him, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck, letting no gap between their bodies. With one arm he moved her up and with the other placed himself at her entrance. She slid down, slowly, letting out a loud whimper as his hard length filled her.

He placed his hands on her hips, helping her move up and down as he continued kissing her.

She had to stop for air, and buried her face against his neck and then moved faster; rocking her hips and making him groan her name with a husky voice. She loved the way he fitted inside her, the way his hands fitted over her hips, they way her name just fitted in his mouth when he kept repeating it. Maybe she just loved him after all… that's not something they could erase with her memories.

She cursed when he stopped and he almost laughed. He pushed them on the mattress to be on top of her; he never stopped staring at her dark eyes as he started thrusting inside of her, going even faster and harder as she demanded him pushing her hips up.

Skye cupped his face to kiss him again, whatever guilt he still had, she wanted to erase that from his mind, she just wanted to make that man happy, to make him feel safe and forgiven. He moaned her name when he felt her body tensing, she was close, but so was he. So his hands grabbed her wrists and pressed them together over her head, while he continued giving her pleasure with his mouth back on her breasts. Skye arched her back and moved her hips erratically as her orgasm started to take over.

"Oh God, you feel so good, I love you" He groaned against her skin when her muscles started to contract violently around him. He moved faster, making her yell in pleasure with every thrust. He came inside of her as hard as she did, feeling his own, sweaty body go limp and collapse over her.

A few seconds later, he realized that Skye was panting… under his very heavy body. "Oh my God, I'm sorry" He tried to move but she didn't let him, wrapping her arms and legs around him.

"No, no… I'm ok, it feels really nice" She smiled, feeling exhausted but extremely relaxed.

Grant smiled against her neck "You're so damn perfect"

"Is this our first time?" She asked with a smile, stroking his hair.

"It is, why?"

"Because I felt… well, it just felt like it was...and I think this new me might be liking you, Mr. Agent Ward Sir"

He rolled them over to let her be on top of him. Skye frowned. "Hey! I told you I liked it. You're comfy"

He just chuckled and kissed her again. "I can be comfy without killing you" He wrapped his arms around her so she could be completely on top of him, then he covered them both with the sheets. Skye was just looking at his handsome face the whole time with a wide grin on her face, resting her chin on his chest. "What?"

"Nothing, I like your face"

"That's an... interesting compliment"

"It looks real, and handsome"

"Real?" He stroked her hair, letting his fingers play with it.

"To me, It's hard to explain" She shouted him with a kiss. "Thank you" she whispered against his mouth, not very sure why, but she just felt like saying it. The man loved her and she couldn't just say it back, so she had to say something... or maybe show something. She crawled up a little, making the kiss deeper, letting his hands go down her back and their bodies get lost again.

* * *

The next morning he woke up holding her in his arms like the night before, but this time completely naked and she was staring at him with a big smile on her face.

"Hello handsome. Oh my gosh, you're blushing" Skye teased "What? You never woke up with a naked, beautiful, woman before?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Not this beautiful, and not with that much stamina" Now he teased and gave her a quick kiss on her lips.

"Well, that proved that I'm a super spy too, someone must have trained me like crazy"

"I did" He smiled

"For real?" He just nodded and Skye continued, "That's kind of hot"

"I can't say it wasn't. But this is way better" He hugged her closer and moved a leg to wrap hers.

Skye smiled "You sir, sound like you had a big crush on your recruit"

"Rookie" He corrected her "And well… yes, even though you were terrible, you used to say bang while pulling a trigger, you made jokes all the time, you know… I kind of hated you back in the…" He stopped.

Skye frowned "You still there?"

"Because it didn't came naturally…" He muttered and then looked at her "Computer science… it comes naturally to you" He smiled. "Maybe you still can do it"

"What?"

"You told me that. I think you can do it. We need to get a laptop and maybe you can hack into shield and find our team"

Skye smiled "Ward, I don't think it's that simple"

"It is, I believe you can do it" He kissed her. "Let's get ready. They could be looking for us"

"I don't want to disappoint you" She said but Grant was just smiling, she had never seen that spark in his eyes, she liked to have that effect on him, seeing him with hope "But I guess we could try, right?" She added now smiling too, which earned her a kiss, and that man could kiss. Skye closed her eyes and enjoyed the soft touch of his lips over hers, she felt like a teenager for a moment. When Grant pulled back she pouted, but then he was getting out of the bed and the view was worth the sacrifice.

Once they were ready he went searching for supplies, but he didn't find much.

"I have some protein bars in my bag, if you're hungry" He said while he was getting his motorbike ready. "Thank God I found enough Gas"

Skye smiled "Thank _you_… for doing all this for me"

He smiled too and kissed her forehead "I would do anything for you"

"Well, what about telling me how we met?"

"That's also complicated" He smiled.

"Come on!... Ward!" She chased him out of the room.

* * *

**That's all for now! please tell me what you think, things are about to get messy, but I would appreciate it if you show me some love with your feedback :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/B: Thanks for reading, and your feedback and everything. :) Shit's about to go down, please keep reading and don't forget to tell me what you think.**

* * *

When they reached Boston, a big part of the city was in ruins, people were coming back to rebuild, to look for their families, to see what was left. There were lots of soldiers and refugee camps, lots of lists with missing people or the ones who were dead, pictures, flowers, people crying for the ones they had lost.

Skye wanted to cry too. She had never seen such… desolation, people who had lost everything like that.

"Who caused this anyway? Who created Ultron?"

"I don't know. I was kind of disconnected from everything when it happened. I enlisted because I wanted-" He stopped and Skye just kissed his back.

"I'm glad you're fine" She added when he stopped his motorbike.

"Wait here" He said and then took a very big phone out of his bag.

While he was gone Skye looked around, a lot of soldiers other men were working, the city looked bad but it wasn't completely destroyed. It could be saved. She saw a couple of Stark Industries trucks; maybe they had supplies or some kind of tech to help rebuild the city.

Grant came back.

"We have to go to the docks," He said, putting his phone back in the bag "I know what you're thinking. It's untraceable"

Skye just frowned "I wasn't thinking that. But good to know"

Grant sighed, "What did you use to do for a living? I mean… what do you remember?"

"I don't know, I was a waitress, then a nanny, that kind of stuff"

"We'll get you back to normal" He smiled and got on the bike again.

They parked in the docks, and Grant started looking for a boat.

"Here it is" He grabbed her hand but then a man appeared aiming a shotgun at them. Grant put Skye behind him immediately "Wow, man… what's wrong?"

"You didn't talk about a girl"

"She's Shield too. She's with me. It's ok, Come on Paul"

The man frowned "Ok" He put the gun down "Come in" He disappeared inside the boat again.

"What the hell was that!" Skye punched Grant in his arm.

"He doesn't like new people. It's ok"

"It's not ok! He could have killed us!"

"Skye, it's fine. He's one of the good guys. He used to be a shield agent too"

"What happened? He doesn't look that old to be retired"

"He's my age. He met someone, but… well, he made enemies"

"Oh" Skye understood

"Come on" He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and they walked in.

Inside the boat hey found Paul. There were a lot of boxes, radios, monitors and, of course, guns.

"I'm sorry about that. I don't trust new people" The man didn't seem very happy but still he offered his hand to Skye "I'm Paul"

"Skye" He shook his hand

The man frowned and stopped moving for a second, then he smiled "Nice to meet you… Skye… So, you need a laptop and a connection" Paul said to Grant "Well, feel free to use everything. It's a military signal, it should work decently enough"

"Do you have any news from shield?"

"Well, Fury's back. How about that?" Paul chuckled "I think the government will vow them again. They helped The Avengers win the war after all"

Grant nodded "That's good"

"Well, I don't know. I think they still had that hydra plague. I'm pretty sure they are hiding stuff, Ultron… man, I don't know, it happened out of the blue. I heard some other rumors too, something awful happened in China just before everything went to hell in here"

Grant frowned "China?"

"Do you know something?" Paul asked.

He shook his head "Nothing"

"What about her? Skye, isn't it?"

Skye swallowed but she answered quickly "I'm just a hacker. Level one agent. I'm trying to get this guy in contact with shield again"

Paul nodded with a smile "Which reminds me… what happened to you anyway? Why weren't you fighting the big fight with shield?"

"That's classified" Grant smiled. He registered the room, looking for the easiest gun to grab in case he needed it. He had known Paul long enough to know when he was up to something, and that was a risk he couldn't take when he had to protect Skye "You just need to know that we were on a mission"

Paul frowned "A mission?"

Skye interrupted "Well, I think I should get to work" she smiled and took Grant's bag "Shall I?" She said while taking One of Paul's laptops too.

She found a spot to sit in, leaving the both men.

"A mission?" Paul insisted "That's a very pretty looking mission you son of a bitch" He smiled "Is she your recruit?"

"She was. I was her S.O. Man, it's a very long story, but it's not what you're thinking"

"Love makes us do crazy things, Ward. I get it" Paul smiled.

Grant sighed and changed the subject "I'll see if she needs help. Do you have something to eat in here?" Paul nodded and disappeared through a little door. "How is that going?"

"Well, " Skye pouted, "I don't even know where to start so… I'm just trying to look pretty while I hit random keys"

Grant chuckled "You always look pretty… and nice save with Paul by the way. That sounded more like you" He smiled and grabbed her hand "that's how I know you can do it. Start with this"

Grant took the laptop and typed in some sort of address for a Shield server.

Paul came back with snacks when Skye figured out how to make a code window appear. She giggled almost too excited.

"What?" Paul asked, "Did you find something?"

"Ehm… I … I'm close" She pretended to be serious.

"We don't know if our team is ok" Grant added, offering a sandwich to Skye.

"Well, your girl is taking her sweet time, isn't she? They seem to be hard to find" Paul muttered.

She had been trying to figure out a way to find the team. She didn't understand half of what she was doing, but it was starting to make sense. She didn't know what she was looking for anyway; and Grant was starting to get nervous.

"So, where have you been? Man, you disappeared for years, nothing after Paris"

"I was assigned to a team after that, this team" Grant replied, "You ever heard about Phil Coulson?"

Paul chuckled "The legendary Phil Coulson who came back from the dead, of course. He took over after hydra, but he went off the radar when Fury came back. I really don't know what happened and I think I'm better this way"

"Well, I was working for him"

"What about John Garret?" Paul asked and Skye lifted her gaze from the computer "that little hydra scum" Paul narrowed his eyes "He was your S.O., wasn't he?"

"He was. Put him down myself"

"Wow, that's impressive. He was a tough son of a bitch. I heard the stories"

"He was"

"They said that he was related to this China thing, also Coulson… and his team" Grant frowned. He had chosen the closest gun to pick on a table next to him. He could grab it. But he needed to protect Skye first.

Paul continued, rising an eyebrow "What do you know, Grant?"

Ward swallowed, within seconds he moved and grabbed the gun. Paul stood up and pointed his own gun at him, but he didn't have the time to see what Skye was doing, so the next thing the man felt was the cold metal of Grant's gun on his temple, which Skye had taken out of his backpack quietly.

He laughed, "Are you even a hacker?" but before anyone could say anything else,Grant took advance of Paul's distraction and moved quickly, taking the to gun from Paul, just like he had taught Skye years ago. "What the…"

"I am" She said looking at the screen on the floor, which had a tag that read Agent Leopold Fitz with a location on a map "And now we're leaving"

Grant smiled proudly, then he looked back at Paul "Look, we don't know what the hell happened. You're right, there's something really wrong here and we're trying to find out. They did something to Skye, and we need our team, nothing more. We don't want any trouble"

"So… you really don't know what happened?"

"I swear, I'm just doing this for her. You understand, right?"

Paul sighed, "Ok, fine. Just get out of here"

Grant nodded and handed him the gun "We good?"

"We are good, Romeo. Just go" He took the gun and Skye grabbed the laptop before leaving, they might need it later and she wanted to keep exploring her newfound hacking abilities.

* * *

"That was awesome!" Skye said with a big smile on her face. "Did you see me?"

"I did. You looked pretty badass back there" He smiled

Skye rolled her eyes "Man, I had the gun…and the hacking, I hacked into freaking Shield… It felt just…"

"Natural?"

"Yeah" Skye smiled while they were both getting on the bike "And we found this Fitz guy"

Grant stopped for a second "Skye… I don't know if this is a good idea"

"What?" She frowned "Why wouldn't?"

"I already told you, it could be dangerous" He couldn't see her because she was sitting behind him but he almost could feel her getting mad at him "Even if it's not, maybe there's a reason why they took your memories, maybe you won't like the truth"

"But it's the truth. I can't live a lie. It can't be that bad" She sighed "Look, if you want out it's fine, just leave me; but now that I've started this I wont just give up"

"No, no, please. I'm just worried about you. I'm not leaving you. Not again"

"Well, you need the truth too, there were a bunch of bad guys spying on you. We need answers"

He finally started the engine "Just, take it easy, ok? We need to have a plan before we do anything rushed"

Skye wrapped her arms around him and kissed his shoulder "Ok"

"And we need a car" He said as they went back to the streets of Boston.

"Are we stealing a car?" Skye smirked at him "I really can't picture you stealing a car, you're too much of a Boy Scout to do that"

"Hey! I can be fun"

Now Skye chuckled "Oh… I know" She whispered to his ear and Grant shivered a little. He cleared his throat, trying to ignore the very vivid memories he had from the previous night.

"I… I have a place in New Jersey" He changed the subject "We need a car but we're not stealing one. I have a truck"

"I thought New Jersey was destroyed" Skye frowned.

"It was used by the military as a base of operations. If we can get there, we'll have everything we need"

"Ok Mr. I-have-a-plan" She teased with a smile "Lead the way then"

* * *

**Next stop... New ****jersey, will they make it out of there?. Don't forget to review :)**


	7. Chapter 7

It was getting dark when they made it to New Jersey. The area was practically deserted and the city was guarded by the military. Grant stopped for a moment to speak with one of his contacts, a soldier patrolling the area.

Skye was waiting leaning on the bike, looking at him. She felt just drawn to that man, she trusted him. Grant was trying to make her remember, telling her about a team of people, a man who cared about her like a father, a couple of scientists, including that Fitz dude she found while hacking Shield, and a couple of others. He insisted that she loved them like a family, but she couldn't remember any of that, she couldn't remember anything but always being on her own, that's why it felt so nice when Grant Ward looked at her with such… adoration, he made her feel special for the first time in her life.

He walked back to her with that same look on his face, his very handsome face.

"What?" He asked when Skye grabbed his hand with a smile.

"Nothing. Everything ok?"

"Yeah. Lets go" He kissed her forehead and Skye caught him by surprise with a hug that made him feel a little week on the knees; Grant still couldn't believe this was real. They stood like that for a few seconds before getting on the bike again.

Outside of the city there was a lot with a few (and kind of improvised) storage rooms. There was nobody, except for more soldiers keeping guard. One of them nodded at Grant when they saw him.

"This is mine. I kind of lived here for a few months. We built them with other soldiers to keep our stuff"

He said while he was opening the locks and then sliding the door up.

"I think I have a couple of flashlights. We don't have electricity" He said with a hint of guilt in his voice. She deserved a nice place, this was dark and smelled moldy.

Skye walked in. The place looked like a garage. He had a pickup truck parked in the middle of it with a lot of boxes around. There was some sort of bunk/bed in the background, and a table.

"Found them!" He said when he found a couple of lamps in a box. He gave her one. "Most of this boxes just have guns but I think I must have some blankets. Uhm… I definitely have some food and water, we're gonna need all of it"

Skye hit the lamp a couple of times before she could make it work "It's getting really dark" She said while pointing the beam of light to his face.

"We'll just get what we need, we can go now if you want"

"It's ok, you must be tired. I know I'm tired. Besides, it's not that bad… kind of reminds me of my van" She said while scanning the small space.

Grant smiled while she continued looking around with the help of the flashlight.

"Ok then, I'll get a couple of things. Make yourself comfortable"

Skye nodded and walked to the little bed, but something caught her attention on the wall.

Grant was moving boxes and getting guns and ammo. He was pretty sure he had some protein bars, canned food and water; that should do the trick for the night. They needed money, gas, a couple of sat phones and-

"Hey! That's me!" Skye's voice interrupted his mental inventory and with a quick step he was next to her, snatching the little picture from her hands.

"Hey!" Skye protested.

"That's…" He was blushing, and Skye was smiling fondly.

"Why are you ashamed?"

"I'm not ashamed"

"Yes you are" She stood up and smiled at him "I think that's sweet. Never thought you were such a romantic"

"Are you going to make fun of me now?"

"Of course not. I mean, if you wrote poems for me I might want to read them" She teased and Grant shook his head.

"I didn't-"

"Maybe you have a notebook where you doodled our names together"

He finally chuckled "Ok, stop. I don't have one of those. You gave me this" He gave her the photo back. "Actually, it was in the bag you gave me the last time I saw you"

She looked at the picture and then back at him. "Why did you left it in here?" Her voice sounded sad, maybe she was a little disappointed. Why would he keep the picture just to leave it in there after the war?

Grant pressed his lips together in sad smile "I kept it for years, always with me… even when I wanted to give up, It just gave me hope that I could see you again. But after the war… I thought you were dead, Skye. I thought that I was never going to find you"

"What do you mean with _when you wanted to give up?"_

He sighed and leaned against the truck, avoiding her eyes "During a war like that, when you don't have a reason to keep fighting… you just… want to give up"

Skye felt tears forming in her eyes. She hugged him tight, burying her face on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her waist, still afraid of just waking up in his apartment and without her.

"I'm glad I don't need that picture anymore" He said but immediately regretted it. He didn't want to push her and yet it was the only thing he had been doing. She didn't have to love him back, or to be with him.

"No, you don't" She mumbled against his chest. "You have me" She whispered, not really thinking about the words as they escaped her mouth.

"You need to get some sleep" He kissed the top of her head.

Skye nodded and pulled away from him trying to smile. She sat on the bed, waiting for Grant, while he was looking for some blankets and pillows. But then he tossed a blanket inside of his truck before giving her the rest. He offered her a protein bar too.

"We'll find something decent to eat tomorrow" Skye took it, but she looked kind of confused "What's wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing" She faked as smile as he walked back to the door to close it. She followed him with her gaze while he was locking the place and then opening the door of his truck. She could barely see anything now.

"Good night, Skye"

"Good night" She said, leaning back on the mattress, feeling uncomfortable, disappointed, and even a little mad at him. She covered her whole body with the blanket and turned her back to the truck to face the wall.

She bit the bar but it tasted like cardboard, it was awful. Of course he liked to eat that kind of tasteless crap.

Why was she so mad at him anyway?

She was getting attached, like really used to his presence, and his body spooning hers in the night, and his arms around her, the steady movement of his chest while he was breathing. That was something she never felt before, not even for Miles. She just felt home with Grant. She didn't like to feel like some whiny little girl, she had never been like that.

"Fuck it" she sighed and jumped out of the bed. When she knocked on the window Grant looked at her a little concerned. By now, their eyes had adapted to the shadows and they could see better. He opened the door to ask her what was wrong but she didn't let him speak when she was getting in the car with him.

Skye sighed, "Why are you sleeping in here?" she was sitting in the driver's spot, not looking at him.

"What?" Now he was confused. She was staring down at her laced fingers.

Skye sighed "Ok, forget it, this is stupid" She was about to get out of the car when Grant grabbed her arm and pulled her for a kiss.

It was needy and it was desperate. He cupped her face with his hands and moaned softly when Skye deepened the kiss.

She pulled away when air became necessary and Grant protested, leaning forward a little until she stopped him by placing her index finger over his mouth.

Skye was smiling, all sign of frustration gone. Grant grabbed her hand and kissed her palm softly before looking at her. "I think I panicked"

Skye frowned "What?" she didn't even remember what they were talking about before the kiss.

"I… I… I mean, I really want to sleep with you; I don't want you to think that I'm rejecting you. It's the other way around"

"Oh that" She smiled "But wait. Did you say you panicked? Why?"

"I don't know if that's the right word. My point is… when I'm close to you, I find it really hard to… control myself" He looked down "I'm not sleeping with you because sleeping is the last thing in my mind after last night" He swallowed, but he was trying to be honest with her, all the time. That was kind of his new policy.

Skye rewarded him with the cutest smile he had ever seen. She was blushing a little too. Not the reaction he was waiting for. "You are such a perv".

Now that sounded more like her.

"Sorry. I don't want you to feel like you have to… I mean, I don't want to push you. I think we shouldn't even have done it in first place, I mean-"

"You regret it?" Her expression faded a little and Grant's heart stopped for a second.

"NO! no… Oh God, no" He squeezed her hand "I just keep thinking that you don't remember us, or anything about me… maybe I should have waited"

"Hey, I'm capable of making my own decisions, and I made that one, stop saying that"

He shook his head and this time avoided her gaze "Skye, you really hated me… maybe when you remember you'll regret it"

"Look, maybe I don't remember you in here" She pointed at her temple when he looked up again, then she moved his hand and placed it over her heart "but I think I remember you in here" She smiled "You keep talking about all this people, our team, but I don't remember any of them. I just know that I was alone my whole life, and I have stuff in my mind that doesn't make sense and I feel out of place. All I remember about my life is that it was total crap, and I'm not even sure if half of it is real; but when you kiss me, I know for sure that's real. You are real to me Grant… that's actually what I meant last night" She wiped her already wet eyes but she smiled. "This is probably too cheesy"

Grant chuckled. "Maybe you were the one writing poems for me this whole time"

"Oh, shut up" She sobbed and laughed with him.

He enjoyed the sound; she had missed her laughter more than anything. She looked just happy, innocent and beautiful, like she used to be.

"Maybe I did" Skye joked, "the young recruit having a crush on her... What was it again?"

"Supervising officer" He added

"Right, that. The story writes itself" She leaned forward a little, getting closer to him.

There was a moment of silence. He moved his hand to her face, and Skye leaned into the contact. She was still smiling, reassuring him, but Grant was terrified and Skye could see it in his eyes. That's when he realized he couldn't loose her again. He was a fugitive and Skye was a Shield agent. He couldn't just come back to the team.

He didn't care about being in jail, but he would loose her, and that would hurt like hell.

Grant sighed, still rubbing his thumb against her cheek. "They wont let me see you again, Skye. I'm a fugitive"

"I kind of put that together" She said with a low voice, almost a whisper.

"I need to ask you something" He swallowed "Or beg… Skye, just… think about it for a second, ok?"

"Grant-"

"No, you said no once, you said that you needed to go back to the team, to your family, but look what they did to you"

Skye pulled away from his touch "We don't know why"

Grant just continued, "You said that you don't remember them, that I'm real, that you could make new memories. Why don't we just drop it? I swear to God that I don't care if they put me in jail for the rest of my life if you want to keep looking. But do you? Do you really want to go back to them?"

Skye sighed. She was confused. She had wondered the same thing since he met him "That's the whole fucking point Ward. I don't know if I want because I don't know _me. _Maybe I do"

"I know I'm sorry…. that's why I really didn't want to share the bed with you. I didn't want to push you. I know it's selfish, and stupid and… agh… I just can't help myself, not anymore, not when I finally have you. It's too damn hard. It's not just physical, Skye. It's you, just you and the fact that I know that I have to get ready to let you go again" He confessed without looking at her.

"I'm sorry" she bit her lower lip. She wanted to hug him and cry for some reason.

"You don't have to be. I was the one who screwed this up from the beginning. I would do whatever you want me to do. If you want to keep going-"

"Ward…" Skye whispered, "I don't want you to feel like that, but-"

"That's not helping" He still wouldn't look at her, but he felt her hand over his shoulder.

"But I don't know what to do. This is my life, everything is a lie, and I want to know who I am… or was. If I don't go I feel like I'll regret it"

"It's settled, then"

She just continued moving her hand up to the back of his neck "But what if I leave you again and I regret it even more?"

He finally faced her "Maybe you didn't regret it the first time"

"My heart is telling me other thing. It just hurts, bad" She moved closer to him until her forehead was resting against his "I don't know what to do" She repeated.

He didn't answer; he just closed his eyes and kissed her. Skye moaned softly and let herself go and forget about everything. As she had said before, when Grant kissed her it felt like the only real thing in her life. She liked how he made her feel safe, how he was able to make her heart stop hurting.

She slowly crawled over him and straddled his legs without breaking the kiss. Grant's hands were now on her hips, and moving up under her shirt, while her mouth made a trail of kisses along his jawline, moving down to his neck. Ward shivered and Skye pulled away to look at him with a frown.

"What?" She asked, a little out of breath but smiling at him

"Nothing" He claimed her mouth with another hungry kiss. She matched his intensity and kissed him back as hard, digging her nails on his hair, letting her desire take over.

He pulled out her shirt and Skye pulled his and he took the opportunity to kiss the exposed skin. His lips sucked softly over her neck and Skye rewarded him with a soft moan when he head fell back to give him better access

She closed her eyes and captured his mouth again, but now she took her time. Sometimes she could almost remember… remember him, but there was nothing, she couldn't just place it, she just felt it, his lips, his body, his smell, she knew it, it was all familiar, but she couldn't…

"Hey" He whispered.

Skye felt his thumb rubbing her cheek softly, that's when she realized he was wiping her tears.

"What's wrong? Did I do something? Skye…" He was genuinely concerned, his hand was even shaking a little against her cheek. "Skye"

She shook her head "You didn't do anything wrong" Skye tried to smile while sobbing, "It's just weird you know? Not knowing… not remembering but still… feeling… this"

"What do you feel?" He didn't want to ask, he wished he could take it back, she was having a hard time right now, she didn't need the pressure but being close to her had an effect on his self-restraint. "Sorry"

"I feel like we...fit" She mumbled without looking at him, her finger moving slowly, drawing patterns over his chest "I feel like I belong… with you" She finally looked up. Maybe it was too impulsive, but they were living in a crazy world, a world that was invaded by aliens, and robots and a ton of weird crap she couldn't even understand… so maybe this was a moment to choose and live a life with somebody, whatever time they had left before another weird thing happened.

"I swear we will find out what happened. We can wait until everything is back to normal and let things calm down a little bit and we can find the team, once I'm sure we're safe and as a far as possible, ok?" He stroked her hair and Skye nodded with a smile.

He kissed her again, making all her doubts go away. She… they were going to find the truth but there was no rush, she wanted a chance to be with him, to learn how to love him, to finally have something nice in her life. His lips moved down her neck, slowly, carefully… no one, ever, treated her like that; no one, ever felt like that. Skye got rid off her bra so he could continue, and so he did.

She dug her nails on his shoulders for support when his lips were sucking on her breast. Skye moaned and pressed his head closer. When she started moving her hips over him he was a goner.

They managed to get rid of the rest of their clothes in the small space and then, without breaking eye contact, she slid down his shaft very slow. He had his hands firmly placed over her hips while she was still holding on his muscled shoulders. Skye rested her forehead against his and smiled.

He didn't need her to say_ it. _It was there. It was there from the moment he put a bag over her head. Grant grabbed her right hand from his shoulder and kissed it and she responded by pressing her lips against his and moving her hips.

Skye liked the way he whispered her name to her ear, the way he said how much he loved her with a husky voice and the way his hands moved over her body. Her arms were wrapped around his neck to kiss him again…his chest felt warm against hers and that felt good too. He groaned in her mouth when she picked up pace and then was lost too.

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** Don't forget to tell me what you think :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Chapter 8, or the one where shit goes down! **

**Warning: Mention of major character death.**

**Please don't forget to tell me what you think. That's what keeps me going :)**

* * *

Grant opened his eyes out of habit, but there was no way to tell what time it was. All he knew was that he was on the back seat of his truck with a very naked Skye sprawled over him, and he wouldn't want to be somewhere else right now. Her hair was covering her face and part of his chest. Ward smiled, he didn't remember smiling since that day in providence, ages ago, with her. He would smile for the rest of his life if he had her.

The place was still pretty dark, but he could see the light filtering through the door. There was no rush anyway; they could do whatever they wanted now. He could let her sleep a little more.

He was betrayed by the sound of his stomach and he felt Skye moving almost immediately.

"What the hell was that?"She chuckled.

"Sorry"

"You hungry, babe?"She teased but he was still processing that babe word, he liked it, no one had ever called him babe, or anything like it. Skye yawned and her hand was moving over his abs.

"We need to find something decent to eat"

"Agreed, that crap you call food tastes like feet"

"It's not supposed to taste like something, it keeps you strong and gives you energy"

He couldn't see her rolling her eyes but he was sure she was rolling her eyes. "There are about 5 things in life that are supposed to be great, food is one of them, I doesn't matter if it makes you fat or sick or whatever, it has to taste good"

He wanted to laugh but then Skye was moving off him and he didn't like it "Well, that's one thing…and the other four?"

"Well…sleeping late, of course. Music, trips…specially if they're road trips, road trips with good music and…well, sex"

He smiled "I can say I've experienced at least one of those great things now"

"Don't worry, I'll make sure you get the whole package of great things"She kissed him softly. "But I'm going to need to start with the food too"They both laughed.

Grant packed 4 large water bottles, blankets, guns and an incredible amount of ammo on the truck. He had a couple of coats and a box with a lot of money.

She didn't even want to see the protein bars, but he packed a few boxes anyway, tools, gas…

"Shit, we're not going to a war zone"She said while he was trying to get his bike to fit on the back too.

* * *

"We'll get rid of everything once we cross the border"Skye frowned and Grant continued "Canada, then we cross to Europe"

"Wow, seems like you've got everything figured out"

"I've had this plan since…always. Now I just have someone who I can share it with"He smiled "We'll be safe"With a final push he managed to accommodate his bike in the back of his black pickup truck. "We're ready"

Skye nodded and grant jumped out of the truck.

"Look, if you're having second thoughts is ok, we can always go back to the original plan"He grabbed her arms, making her look at him.

"I am 110% sure of this"Skye smiled.

They were holding hands when he opened the car's door for her, and then he had to go and open the large door of his storage room.

Maybe he was too distracted with her smile, he needed to see it with the sunlight, but the only thing he saw was her expression changing from happiness to fear, it took him too long to realize what was waiting on the other side of the door.

"Good morning, lovebirds"Paul smiled, he was wearing tactical gear and with him there were about 12 armed men.

"Ward!"Skye yelled.

He couldn't even react, they all had assault rifles and they could fire any second, he had to make sure Skye was safe before trying anything.

"What the hell, Paul?"His only way out of this might be talking "What are you doing"He walked back, closer to the truck door, next to Skye.

"Grant"She said.

"It's ok"He answered quickly, placing a hand on the door, then he spoke again "Why are you doing this?"He asked Paul.

"Do you think I'm an idiot, Ward? I know exactly what you were up to before the war, everybody in Shield knows you're a traitor"

"But you're not Shield anymore"

"Things have changed, it's not smart to be alone. Shield has changed too, they don't need us to be weak"He looked at Skye "I was once and it almost got me killed"

Grant frowned "I used to think like that, Paul. You couldn't be more wrong"

The man sighed, "Well, I'm not here to discuss our points of view. Get the girl"He ordered.

Grant moved forward "Wait, no!... You don't need her. You can have me…Please, you're right, I was with John…I was Hydra, please just let her go"

The men stopped for a second and looked at their boss.

"I know all that, Shield doesn't give a shit, Hydra is long gone and for some reason everything about you has been…erased"He looked at Skye again "Let me be clear"Paul looked back to Ward "We're here for her"

"Oh, you'll have to kill me then…and believe me, most of you will go with me"Grant sounded threatening.

"Sounds like we'll have to do this the hard way"

"Grant, it's ok…I can go, maybe we can find out what they did to me. I'll come back, don't do this"

He ignored her; he knew the look on Paul's face. She wasn't coming back "You didn't even know who she was yesterday…why?"Grant asked, he was getting ready…if they wanted it the hard way…so be it.

"Well, I hadn't had the pleasure, but everybody knows her name. I knew it the moment I heard it…Skye…the whore who killed half of the agents in the playground…including Agent Tripplet, he was our friend Ward. But of course you don't care. You never really cared."

"What is he saying?"She asked, confused. She didn't even know what the playground was.

"Stay in the car"Grant whispered.

"Who's Agent Tripplet?"She ignored him and sobbed, "Grant?"

"Ok boys, take her"Paul ordered.

The moment the first guy took a step Grant moved like lightning, his hand was on his rifle, pulling it down and then his elbow knocked the man unconscious. He had calculated every move. One by one they fell to the ground. Skye yelled his name when the first gunshot was fired but he kept moving, unharmed. He was all rage; his next prey was grabbed by the neck and worked as a human shield when the others shoot again, hitting his bulletproof vest.

The man fell when Grant smacked his face against the car, and the next one got a flying kick to the face. But they were too many. One of them finally shot his leg and the next second Grant was on his knee, breaking the man's arm in return, smashing his face against the floor. He got up again but then he was being punched hard in his stomach, then his face.

Paul sighed and took his gun out. One of the agents had his arm wrapped around Ward's neck but he flipped him over immediately…there was not enough time to turn around or avoid the bullet that hit the back of his head.

"NOOOOOOOO!"Skye yelled, she got out of the truck and rushed towards him. She pushed one of the men against the truck and crouched next to Grant, turning him over just to see a blue shadow over his eyes. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM!"She cried when she had her hand on the back of his head but didn't find blood. "YOU SON OF A BITCH, WAKE HIM UP!"She didn't let go of Grant, he was still breathing.

"Enough of this"

Another of the agents tried to grab her but she fought, a little clumsy but effective.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM!"She kicked another agent right in the nuts and then her knee hit against his face.

"Ok, why don't you see it for yourself, princess"Paul said, sounding frustrated and then fired his ICER, hitting her chest. Skye fell over Grant's body, she grabbed his shirt but couldn't utter a word, he was blurry, and then it was all darkness. "Fine, get up you idiots and pack them up"

"Both of them?"

"Yeah, they might want to see Grant Ward back in the base. It's a bonus."

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**Aaaaand reviews please :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I'm so sorry. I know nobody saw it coming but I swear I have 12% of a plan here. Wouldn't mind reading your feedback though. Well, here's a new chapter... hope you enjoy it.**

**Also friendly reminder that Ward never hurt Fitzsimmons in this AU, so Fitz is Ok and... well, keep reading.**

* * *

Grant woke up feeling a terrible headache, but he didn't had time for that…Skye was in danger.

He tried to get up but he was handcuffed to a metal table in the middle of what looked like an interrogation room.

"WHERE AM I!"He yelled "WHERE'S SKYE?! I SWEAR I'LL KILL YOU ALL IF YOU TOUCH HER!"

He pulled harder; he had to get out, he would chop his own hands off if necessary.

* * *

In another room Skye was already awake, sitting across from her there was Paul, looking at her.

"I see why even a guy like Ward would fall for you"

"Where's he?"

"He's fine. It was just an ICER"

"I don't know what that is"She was handcuffed to the table too, the room didn't even have one of those fake mirrors she had seen in movies, it was nothing but metallic walls and a door.

"You can drop the act now, I just want to know how did you do it? You don't look that…dangerous. I'm impressed, really"

"I don't know what you're talking about, I don't even remember who I am. I should be asking the questions. Why did you do to me?"She stared directly at him, not even blinking, she wasn't afraid…at least not for her.

* * *

Grant's room did have a window, and it was a regular room, no metal walls.

"I need to speak with Agent Phil Coulson, or Agent Melinda May… Commander Maria Hill?, whatever you're doing to Skye, you're going to regret it!"

* * *

"I didn't kill anybody. Grant told me I had never-"

"That Hydra shit? He's a liar and a murderer, and so are you…like father, like daughter right? Let's say I believe you don't remember any of it. Let me refresh your memory, because you killed 7 agents, 7 of your friends, one of them was in your team."

She tried to fight the tears, but she just couldn't…

"Agent Hartly is going to make you pay for that. _You_ are a_ monster_"

Skye shook her head while she looked down.

* * *

He didn't know how much time had passed, all he knew was that his wrists were cut and starting to bleed, but he was never going to stop kicking that damn table which was starting to bend and getting a little loose.

He finally heard the door opening. He kicked the table harder, but he stopped when he saw who it was.

"It's true"Leo said.

He looked different, thinner and visibly tired, but it was Fitz no doubt.

"Fitz! It's you…you gotta help me, you gotta help Skye…I don't know what they're doing to her, please"

Fitz suddenly looked concerned "Skye is here too?"His voice broke as he spoke.

"Yeah…"

Fitz shook his head. "I'm sorry, I have to go. I shouldn't be here"

"Why are they doing this?!" Grant yelled again, making the engineer stop. "Fitz, where are the others?"

"Well, Tripp is dead"He said with a cold voice.

"What?"

"You're going to hurt yourself there"Fitz wasn't looking at him but he had noticed the cuts on Grant's wrists the moment he opened the door.

"Fitz, what happened?"

"What does she remember?"

"Nothing…not even joining Shield. You know about that?...What happened?"He insisted.

"I think you need to talk to Coulson"

"Is he here? I don't need to talk to anybody, just get Coulson and find Skye, please"

Fitz sighed and left the room.

"Wait, no! where are you going? Fitz!"

* * *

He was sitting on the floor, next to the table, exhausted, and still dealing with a headache.

Another agent came in to take the meal he didn't touch and replace it with a new one. How was he even supposed to eat when he was handcuffed to a damn table? He didn't care anyway.

* * *

Grant jumped when he heard the door again, he didn't even realize he was asleep, he felt bad for it, he should be trying to escape.

"Never thought I was going to see you again. Sorry I can't say it's nice to see you"

Grant almost smiled when he saw Phil Coulson walking in the room. He could save Skye.

"You look like crap"Phil added.

"Start talking"

"You don't think you, our prisoner, can come here to give me orders, do you?"

"Coulson, stop with this bullshit. Where's Skye? What are they doing to her?"

"I didn't know she was here until Fitz told me. I came as fast as I could. I didn't give the order, Ward"

"Then who did?"

"Agent Hartly"

"Who the fuck is that?"Ward growled.

"Believe me, you don't want to meet her"Coulson sighed, "What happened?"

"What kind of question is that? _You _tell me! Tell me where's Skye!"

"She's in a secure room"

"What?"Ward frowned "What are you protecting her from? You gotta tell me, Coulson…What did you do to her? Why?"

"Listen…we…what we did, it wasn't to protect her, Ward"

"So you did it, you erased her memories?"

Coulson ignored him and continued, "We did it to protect everybody else"

"What are you talking about?"

"What you heard…It is true. She changed"

"Coulson, it is Skye…I can't believe it, all Shield ever does is manipulate and say why it's in its best favor, but you're not going to drag her into that"

"I have no reason to lie to you. You know that I care about her. We… were her family.I would have never done it if it weren't necessary. I did it so she could have a chance to start over"

"You? Not Shield?"

"They don't know, they think she escaped"

"THEY ARE GOING TO KILL HER!"He kicked the table again, hurting his wrists again.

"Ward!"Coulson yelled "Calm down, I'm going to get you out of here but you need to calm down. If you want to help her, this is not the way!"

"Then stop talking and do something!"Grant said clenching his jaw. He waited for Coulson to take the key and release him. He didn't even care about the cuts on his skin, he immediately grabbed Coulson's shirt and pushed him against a wall "Now. Tell. Me. Where is she?"

"You need to listen first, you need to know what happened"

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**Now the reviews... come people, reviews are free! hahaha**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I'm so sorry for the absence, I've been making Skyeward videos because they totally took over my life. We're starting to reveal the truth about Skye and I hope to post another chapter later today.**

**But you'll have to help with your feedback.**

* * *

Skye had been given new clothes and she was sleeping on a cot with handcuffs on her wrists and foot. She couldn't stop crying, even if she couldn't believe it… She couldn't have killed all that people, and what about Grant? Where was he?

They only said that she would meet some agent Hartly and that she would be lucky if she were sent to the fridge. She didn't know what the fridge was but I didn't sound good. She didn't even move when she heard the door, not until she heard his voice.

"Skye!"

She almost jumped out of the cot and moved as fast as the chains tying her foot together let her. He was with another man but she only cared about him. Grant hugged her tight, stroking her back, kissing the top of her head.

"I'm gonna get you out of here, I promise" He said.

"We need a plan" Coulson interrupted "And you need to go back to your cell before someone notices it"

"What?" Skye sobbed "No"

"I just needed to make sure you're fine" Grant cupped her face; it broke his heart to see her like that. Everything Coulson said… it couldn't be true, and even if it was, he didn't care… She was good; she was better than all of them.

"Grant"

"I'll be back" He kissed her "Don't let them break you. You're have no idea how strong you are"

Skye nodded and then had to see him go. The other man gave her a sad smile before closing the door.

"I don't care" Ward said once they were in the hallway "I knew it… Raina told me about her story, but I don't care…"

"I thought it would be easier for you to… understand. Here is not that simple" Coulson noticed Grant's gaze. He could see his mind working as they spoke- "I hoped she could find you"

"Why? I'm the real monster here, I'm no good to her"

"I'm not going to lie to you. I hate you, and I really wanted to kill you. But Ward, a person who's capable of love if capable of good. That's why I sent her to Mashpee, I thought she could find herself again if she could find you. Maybe bring out the best from each other"

"And what about her father? Where's him?"

"We don't know, we were busy dealing with crazy robots. We don't know if he survived. But if he did, he can't find her"

Ward swallowed "We need to get her out of here"

* * *

Four heavily armed agents escorted a woman to her room. She looked intimidating.

"Hello, Skye. Long time no see." She said when Skye stood up. She wouldn't let them see her crying.

"What do you want?"

"I want answers"

"Guess we have that in common"

"Skye, this will be way easier if you just stop acting like the victim" The woman walked closer.

"I'm not acting like a victim. I _am_ the victim. I don't even know you, I didn't kill anybody, I-"

"Then I guess you're not on the run with an Hydra fugitive either" Skye stopped talking "Where's your father?"

"I don't have a father. I thought you were super spies. Don't you have like a file on everybody?"

The woman sighed in frustration "Where. Is. Your. Father?" She insisted.

"I already told you! I don't know what you're talking about. I'm an orphan, if I have a father I don't know who he is!"

"Where you exposed?"

"Exposed to what?"

"What do you want?"

"I just want to get out of here! I don't want to hurt anybody; I don't want any of this. I was leaving, I wasn't hurting anybody"

"Tell that to Agent Simmons, or Tripplet, or the other 6 men you killed in cold blood"

Skye sobbed, she fell on the cot not being able to stand anymore.

"Agent Hartly, we have the serum ready" One of the men said and the woman shook her head.

"This conversation is not over" She said before leaving.

* * *

Fitz was waiting in the lab, alone, they way he had been since Jemma left, he didn't want a new partner, or a new team, he just wanted to be alone and working. If he had a moment to think about her he would go crazy. He still didn't know if she survived the attacks in London; and now Skye was there, the reason why she left.

Coulson walked in, he didn't look like the man Fitz used to know, but then Fitz himself didn't look the same.

"Sir. Nice to see you again" The scientist said

"I know what you're going to say" Coulson rubbed his eyes.

"We can't help her, Sir. Why is she here? We did everything we could to save her. Why did she come back? What does she want now?"

"She's different. It worked. She's our Skye again"

"That doesn't change what she's capable of" Fitz made a pause and took a deep breath "The deal was… I would do it if she was as far away as possible"

"I know you're saying that because of Jemma, but Fitz-"

"Don't you dare talking about Jemma" Fitz replied, cold.

"I'm sure she's ok" Coulson continued.

"But she could be better if she was here with… us"

"Fitz, this is not you. You would never abandon Skye"

"Well, why wouldn't I? She abandoned us, didn't she?" He went back to his desk "Just like Ward did"

"They'll need our help"

Fitz didn't get to answer, they heard footsteps, and another agent was entering to the lab.

"Commander Coulson. Agent Hartly wants to see you in her office"

Coulson nodded "Fitz, I need you to think about it"

He wouldn't look at him, so Coulson left with the other agent; he knew what was waiting for him.

* * *

Back in the lab, Fitz was nervous. They would kill Skye or maybe send her to the fridge, not like she didn't deserve it… but still He couldn't help but think about the time when they were in the bus, when they were like a family. He used to think that people couldn't be born evil, but a lot had happened, he had changed. They all had.

Almost without realizing it he was walking to her cell. He had to scan his badge and get closer for a retinal verification. The door was open in a second.

And there she was, crawled up in a ball on her cot, she was sobbing. When he said her name she stopped moving.

"Skye?"

She had heard it… that accent… from her blurry memories. She turned around but she didn't know that man.

"Skye…" He insisted.

"Who are you?" She was siting now.

"You don't know?"

"I think I remember your voice" She said without looking at him.

"I'm Fitz" He took another step but stopped wen Skye looked up. She looked sad and confused and just… helpless…"You shouldn't be here".

"We were looking for you" She said "Leopold Fitz?"

"Fitz" He started walking again until he was in front of her. "Why are you here? What else do you want?"

Skye shook her head "I don't know, I wanted answers… but I can't believe-"

"Oh, you better believe it" She heard his voice break. He sounded cold, but he wasn't like one of the other agents. He was nicer, but he also looked hurt.

"What happened to me?"

"If you're talking about your memories, we had to take them"

"We who?"

"Coulson, and me. Well, I was in charge of the procedure"

Skye frowned. Coulson, the man who was supposed to love her like a father, that's the only thing Ward had told her about him.

"Why!"

"Because we thought we could… have you back"

"Back?" She sobbed and Fitz felt the urge to hug her, she looked like the old Skye, that girl they picked up from an alley who had no idea what she was getting into. Pretty much like Simmons and him. Skye spoke again "Is it true?" Her voice was almost a whisper.

But he knew what she was referring to. "I'm sorry"

She didn't want to hear it, until now she couldn't believe it. But if that man, Fitz, was going to accuse her to, it might be true. Why would he lie to her?

"Coulson tried to fix it, but we can't bring them back" He tried to sound angry, even if it was breaking his heart to see her like that.

She wanted to say how sorry she was but couldn't even move. She wanted to ask about the other scientist, Ward told her about the other one, and she could remember her voice too; but he was already leaving.

* * *

"Commander Coulson, what an unexpected surprise." Said Agent Hartley when Phil was walking in her office. "And may I say this is also a big coincidence… almost seems like you're having a little reunion party here"

"I know what you're thinking"

"Oh, and I'm right. But I want to know the details" She gestured him to take a sit. "I was just talking to Skye" she waited for him to say something but he didn't "My agents had the truth serum ready, but I'm guessing that will get us nowhere"

"How do you know that?"

"Because I know when somebody is telling the truth. That girl had no clue about anything. She was scared. I wasn't going to torture her for no reason"

Coulson frowned. "Then what do you want to do with her?"

"Well, we have two options here, either we get rid of the problem or… we send her as far as possible and risk whatever is left of this world to face another tragedy"

"Wow, I wouldn't say it-"

"Phil" She interrupted "What did you do to her? And why?"

He took a deep breath "She was a member of my team. She was my responsibility. And I knew her. That's why I made the call"

"The call to erase her memories?"

"The call to revert the damage her father did to her. Skye is not a killer. She was being controlled. Everything she did-"

"She did it, and she could do it again. You don't know her full potential. We never faced people with genuine mental abilities before and now we know that they exist, that they are a threat and they can grow even more powerful. So you may have a higher rank than I do, but this is my base, and now Skye is my responsibility. I get to make the call"

"No, director Hill will make the call. And I want a word with her first"

"You can use your pull in this, Phil. I know you care about her. But this is bigger"

"And that's why I'm talking to the director. You'll have to wait"

"And if she decides to eliminate the threat. Are you prepared to accept that order?"

"I'm prepared to do more things than you could ever imagine. But until we have orders, Skye stays in her cell. Also Grant Ward"


	11. Chapter 11

Grant didn't know exactly how much time had passed. He had slept for short periods of time and been given 5 meals. That meant at least two days, maybe more. Coulson didn't come back, Fitz didn't come back and he didn't know what to do.

They took the handcuffs but he was still trapped in that stupid room. Coulson had told him to wait, but he was done waiting. He could wait for another guard and attack him, grab his gear and then find Skye.

It was a solid plan.

He could even grab a plane if they could find any and go to Europe as planed.

So he examined the room, calculated his moves. It wouldn't be hard for him to take a couple of agents.

He spent a few hours waiting until he heard the door clicking open.

Grant jumped out of his chair but stopped immediately at the sight of Coulson.

"What the hell are you doing?" Phil said.

"What do you think I'm doing? You said you would get Skye out of here. Where's she?"

"I've been busy"

"That's your answer?" Grant's teeth clenched.

"You need to calm down if you want to see Skye. And I need you to listen"

"That's the only thing you say. Wait and listen. I'm fucking tired of waiting"

"Could you please shut up for a second? I've been busy because we need time and we need things to calm down. I requested to talk with Hill and I don't think she'll agree to let Skye live just like that. So we need to get you two out of here before she comes but without raising Hartley's suspicion. Then you go as far as you can. Off the grid. It would be bad if Shield finds you, but it'll be worse if her father finds Skye"

"I'll protect her"

"Grant, He can make her do anything. If he finds her, protection will be the last thing she'll need"

Ward nodded and waited for Coulson to speak again "Be ready" He said before leaving again.

* * *

"Did You talk to him?" Fitz was waiting for Phil in the lab again.

"Yes. He's ready. We need to do it tonight"

"Yeah. I guess this is the right thing for everybody"

"Fitz, we may get in trouble here. You can keep watch but I should do it alone. You're safe in tis base. No one has to know that you helped us"

"Sir, about that… I think I want to leave the base" He looked down. "Maybe you can help me… I want to go to London"

Coulson gave him a sad smile "You want to look for her?"

"Yes sir"

"You won't be alone. I'll make the arrangements. You'll come with me and we will look for Jemma together"

Fitz looked up at him "Thanks sir, really. I just… need to know"

"We'll find her" He placed his hand on the engineer's shoulder.

* * *

Once again, Coulson had taken Grant out of his room to see Skye. Making sure to keep the guards busy first and moving quickly. Before He could access the retinal scan, Grant grabbed his arm, making the commander look at him.

"Wait" Ward said, "It's been a couple of days and you haven't seen her?" He asked. Coulson had told him what he had been doing, trying to contact director Hill and setting everything ready so they could escape, but he never mentioned seeing Skye. "Why?"

Coulson took a moment before he could give an answer, not like he didn't have one, but it was just hard to say it out loud. "I… I couldn't. You were not at the playground, or in China… you didn't… see it. I don't know what to tell her"

Ward nodded. "I'll take good care of her. I'm sorry we can't take it all back"

The man finally opened the door. They found Skye sitting on the cot, quiet and with an empty look in her eyes. She didn't even lift her gaze to look at them; she was staring at some point on the wall.

"Skye" Grant walked close to her. He knew something was wrong. He sat next to her and moved his hand to her cheek to wipe a tear. "What's wrong?"

"You're Coulson, right?" She looked at the man standing in the middle of the room. "You were here before but you wouldn't even look at me"

"Skye…" Coulson started, but as he told Grant, he didn't know what to say, "We… missed you"

She looked down again "You missed the good old me, I guess… Not the murderer, or the monster"

Grant frowned and looked at Coulson, panicked. She shouldn't know, she didn't have to know. She pushed his hand off her.

"Wait, no. Skye" Grant said.

"It's true" Skye sobbed, "Fitz told me I killed them. That's why you erased my memories. To make me forget about what I had done, but you can't just do that…"

"It's not like that" Coulson added "Whatever you did. It was not your fault" He came closer, finally reaching for her with a trembling hand. "You were not the same. Your father, he's evil Skye, not you… he made you do it" He wasn't able to look at her but he heard when she sobbed again. "We tried to fix it because you deserved a chance"

"Fix what? We can't bring them back" She mumbled.

"We all had done terrible things" Coulson continued.

"That doesn't mean that you can just erase what I did. I should be here. I should pay for it"

"No, because it was not your fault" Grant spoke again "And we're getting out of here. Skye, I did horrible things, I betrayed you all, I … you found they way to forgive me when I thought that I had nothing, I got a second chance and you are nothing like me. You don't have to pay for anything. Your father does"

She frowned and looked at him "Who's my father?"

Grant had to shake his head. Coulson had told him. He was evil, he was powerful, and he had the ability to control people's actions. Especially Skye's since she was her daughter, and he just used her as a weapon.

"He's an evil…. man" Coulson interrupted "And you don't have to see him again. Never. We have a plan and you two can go and start over"

"I know we can get through this together" Grant continued "Can you try?" He grabbed her hand and she squeezed his as an answer. "Can you do it for us?"

Skye nodded and then buried her head against his chest. Grant wrapped his arms around her tight while she sobbed. Of course it was difficult for her. She didn't remember all the things they had been through with the team, all the thing they has seen. Now she was just a normal girl not ready to hear about monsters and people with powers or secret organizations. She got tougher through the years, but she had lost those years, wiped away from her memory.

Grant stroked her back and looked at Coulson, who had that _we-need-to-go_ look on his face. He lifted Skye's chin to find a broken look in her eyes. He smiled and kissed her softly. "Stay strong, ok? We'll be out of here soon"

She nodded.

"Be ready, we'll come for you tonight, ok?" Coulson added. "I swear I will explain everything you need later"

They both left the room, leaving Skye as quiet as she was before. She would be fine. She just needed time.

They rushed to Grant's room before anyone could notice.

"So you're giving us a ride to Europe" Grant said once they were in the room.

"I'm giving you a plane and a way out. I need to stay here. Fitz should be… fixing the plane for you. No one will be able to trace it. Not even a radar will see it Especially when almost any air security tech is fried now so, you'll be ok. You don't have to tell me where you're going. It's better that way actually"

"Thank you"

"Don't thank me yet. Just make sure she's fine… I don't think I would trust you with anything else, but Skye… I know you care. And she deserves something good. Can you do it?"

Grant nodded and shook Coulson's hand. It would be over soon.

* * *

"The plane is ready, sir. We'll set a distraction and they're off to the races" Fitz said, meeting Coulson in the middle of the night in his quarters.

That's when they heard the alarms of the base.

"Wait, what kind of distraction where you talking about!?"

"I don't know sir, I didn't do it!"

"Damn, what's happening!" Coulson opened the door and they saw a bunch of men running down the hallway. "We need to go now" He pulled Fitz out and they started running "Wait in the plane! I'll go get Ward and Skye"

"Wait, sir, why in the plane? We can't leave with them"

"Just do it, Fitz!"

When they turned around they met like 10 agents blocking their path, weapons drawn "Or I could just stay with you here, sir"

"Commander Coulson, We need you to come with us"

"To come… where?" Coulson said.

"Hangar. You're leaving sir" The agent added "We have orders to bring you and your asset to a safe location"

"I'm not going… wait, what asset?"

* * *

Coulson and Fitz boarded the same jet that the engineer had ready for Skye and Ward to find Director Hill talking with Agent Hartley.

"Commander Coulson, nice to see you" Said Maria "Now get your ass here, we need to go now"

"I thought you were more interested in my asset" He said and Maria smiled.

"Yeah, that too" She looked at something behind them, so both Fitz and Coulson turned to see more Agents bringing Skye and Grant. Coulson frowned.

"This base is going to be attacked" Director Hill spoke again "Agent Hartly told me about your family reunion, and the moment you tried to contact me I started looking into it. He's coming for her"

"I still think that keeping her alive is a risk" Said Agent Hartly looking at Skye as she was entering to the hangar.

"That's not what we do" Coulson said.

"Stop being so idealistic Coulson" Maria interrupted "That's exactly what we do. We make this world safer no matter the price. But that's never going to happen as long as he's still alive"

Skye and Ward were getting in the plane and Agent Hartly got out.

"Ward" Maria said with a nod.

"Hill" He raised an eyebrow and smirked at her as the agents pushed him inside the plane. Skye was looking to the floor without saying a word.

Maria chuckled "Gosh, I really hate him"

The ramp started to close and Fitz freaked out. He looked at Coulson, then at Hill and then at Skye and Ward, both handcuffed.

"Sir?" The scientist said.

"Director" Coulson continued, "Where are we going?"

The rest of the agents got out of the plane too, leaving just one who was sitting next to Skye and Grant.

"Oh that" Hill smiled "I'll tell you when it's the right time" She said carelessly as she walked to the cockpit.

* * *

**So... shit's abut to go down again. Don't forget to tell me what you think :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Hello there! It's been so long... but I'm catching up. I really hope you're enjoying this story as much as I do, because I'm so I'm love with this idea...please let me read your opinions and leave your feedback! Wait for another chapter today.**

**PS: I don't know if you read the prequel for this story, but it's important to know that in this AU Ward never threw FitzSimmons out of the bus and he never got brain damage. **

* * *

The cargo area was completely and awkwardly silent, like it had been for the last couple of hours. Coulson and Fitz sat on the right side while Ward, Skye and their guard were in front of them.

Grant was holding Skye's hand and glaring at Fitz; the engineer felt uncomfortable under his gaze. He looked at Skye, she was quiet, staring at the floor; he could tell that she had been crying, and then Grant was squeezing her hand when she sobbed. Then he turned his head to the guard, looked down to the rifle he was holding.

"Don't even think about it" Coulson said, startling the guard "You might be able to take all of us down but you don't want that and don't need that"

Skye looked up at Grant, confused. He smiled "Really? Why? Because you have been of much help so far?

"Ward" said Coulson

"That's what you always do, don't you? You start meddling and you make things worse than they already are" He said looking at Fitz.

"I didn't-" Leo muttered

"You don't ever speak to her again!" Grant yelled

"I see you're all having fun in here" Hill was standing on the cockpit's door with her arms crossed.

"What do you want, Hill? What are we doing here?"

"Well, Skye… I need her; You, I really don't know. I'm still wondering why I haven't put a bullet in your head. So don't give me more reasons to do it"

Skye felt the tension of the moment, she was nervous and scared that Grant was about to attack that woman or the others any second, even with his hands tied. Everybody was getting ready to react. Everybody except for the guard who was supposed to be, well… guarding them. The man was staring at some point on the wall without moving, everybody started yelling at each other but the agent wouldn't even look. She watched as he gripped his gun and moved his finger to the trigger.

Then he turned, his eyes where all white, like a zombie; but Skye could see that he focused on the woman, that's why she could move before anyone else. The man stood up and fired his rifle but Skye was quickly enough to get up and tackle Maria to the floor.

The gunfire passed over her head and reached the cockpit, so the plane shook abruptly and started going down with the loud sound of an alarm. The agent lost his balance and Ward attacked him immediately, kicking him hard on the chest and then grabbing the gun with his tied hands and pushing the man against one of the walls.

Hill frowned, baffled and still processing what had just happened, laying on the floor with Skye over her. Fitz was crouching next to them in a second.

"Are you both ok?" He asked while Skye moved off the director.

They heard another shot and then the guard dropped dead on the floor. Skye was terrified, her ears still ringing as she watched Coulson put his gun back in his holster.

"We're going down!" Maria yelled. Skye didn't even notice when she had stood up and rushed back to the cockpit. Now she was alone because Fitz had left her too and were now talking to Coulson. All she could hear were the alarms and the director yelling that they should hold on to something.

"Skye!" Grant helped her up "Are you ok? Did he hit you?"

"His eyes" She mumbled, that was the only thing she could say and Ward looked even more confused, but Fitz and Coulson seemed to know what she was talking about because they stopped moving and listened. "He's dead…" She continued, still socked.

"Fasten your seatbelts!" Maria yelled "We're going hit the ground soon!"

"Oh no…" Coulson looked at the dead agent on the floor "It's a trap! We can't touch the ground"

"Sorry the break the news Coulson but the instruments are fried, I'm barely making this work"

Coulson walked past Skye and Ward, he was helping her back on her seat. "It was a puppet!... He knows were we are, he was checking on us the whole damn time!" Phil yelled and this time the director didn't answer…

Meanwhile, Fitz sat back on the other side of the plane, shaking a little and fastening his seatbelt.

"What's with the eyes?" Grant asked him "What's a puppet!?"

"Touching ground in a minute, get ready!" Maria yelled.

Skye grabbed Grant's hand, making him look at her. "I don't feel good"

"What?" He whispered, "Are you feeling sick? It's ok Skye, the landing is gonna be a little rough but we're gonna be just fine" He kissed the top of her head and she leaned into his contact, resting her head on his chest then.

"I'm sorry" Fitz finally said, staring at them. "I shouldn't have tell-"

"Just shut up" Grant glared at him, clenching his teeth with anger.

Then they shook abruptly when the jet hit the land. As the engines weren't working properly Maria couldn't control and stabilize the plane, so it continued sliding through the field, hitting every three in its pat until the obstacles stopped the impulse.

Nobody moved for a moment. Skye was still grabbing Ward's hands and pressed against his chest.

"Is everyone alright?" Coulson said from the cockpit, then he walked in the cargo area. "Fitz?"

The engineer nodded "Yes, sir"

"Ok, then get up. We need to get the hell out of here and fast" Coulson took his gun out again.

"What are you talking about? You tell me what's happening!"

"He's close, isn't he?" Skye whispered, focusing her gaze in Coulson's gun.

"What?" Grant turned to her and moved his hands up to lift her chin.

"Probably, and trust me, it wont be pretty for him"

Maria came back from the cockpit with a shotgun and a pistol, she looked at Fitz, then Ward and then Fitz again "Agent Fitz…" She handed him the smaller gun and he took it. "Ok let's get going, my pilot is going to pick us up" She smirked at Coulson and his lips curved up slightly. Maria had just one person that she called her pilot.

Out of the plane It was cold and very dark. They had landed in the middle of a forest. Coulson leaded the group, carrying a big flashlight and Fitz was right behind him. Grant tried to grab Skye's hand as long as the handcuffs let him, she was still shaking and silent. He wondered if she had eating anything because she looked pale and sick.

They stopped when Maria grabbed Skye's arm. She took a small key out of her pocket and proceeded to uncuff the hacker.

"Thanks" Skye whispered.

"I'm the one that should be thanking you" Hill replied, then she looked at Grant "You… will you make me regret it?" She coked an eyebrow at him.

"Well, I could say no but I've fooled you before, haven't I?"

"Only this time I can put a bullet in your brain with no regrets" She pulled his arms offhandedly and uncuffed him to "I know you're a jerk but I also know that you wont be one in front of her so…"

He smirked and grabbed his sore wrists "I'll try my best"

They continued walking; this time Grant could wrap his arm around Skye to help her walk and trying to keep her warm.

"What's your problem with Hill?"

Grant pouted, "I don't like her, she doesn't like me"

"Would you hurt her?"

"Just if she tried to hurt you"

"And the others?"

"Same" He said.

"They seem good. I don't think they would hurt anyone… purposely. I don't want you to hurt anyone"

"Skye-"

"And don't be mad at Fitz. I had the right to know"

She felt his grip tightening on her arm "I can't promise you that I won't react. I'll protect you no matter wh-"

"Did you hear that?" She stopped.

"Hear what?" He said.

"We can't stop guys" Coulson prompted. "We're close to our rally point"

"Skye heard somet-" Grant started talking but he was interrupted when Skye screamed and fell to the floor "Skye!"

"No, no, no, no!..." She cried, covering her hears with her eyes closed.

"What's happening?" Maria asked, "Has this happened before?"

"It has" Fitz mumbled.

Grant was right next to her, grabbing her arms, trying to get her to look at him and open her eyes. "Skye, please… it's ok, It's me"

"Get out!... I didn't… " Tears started rolling down her cheeks as she felt strong hands grabbing her wrists. She pulled and struggled; she didn't want him to get her. He was calling her name, telling her to remember and showing her what she had done, what she really was. It was just a blur in her mind but she could still feel it… the pain, the blood on her hands. "No, please.. no!"

"Skye!, come back to me, please…. SKYE!" Grant finally managed to get her hands and she opened her eyes to see him. "You're safe" He pulled her against his chest. She was panting but started responding and hugged him back. He tried to soothe her by stroking her back softly. "What's wrong?"

"There's someone in my head" Skye sobbed.

Coulson and Maria looked at each other.

"Tell me what's happening" Skye pulled away just enough to see the agents. "I deserve to know"

"Phil" Maria started but Coulson interrupted her.

"Your father, he's reaching out for you… that's how it starts"

"And then?" Skye asked.

"You need to be strong, Skye. I know you can fight it"

"There's a plan. We're going to keep you safe" Maria added.

"Yeah, sure. And who's going to keep you all safe?"

Grant cupped her face with his hand to make her look at him again "We'll be just fine. Listen to them ok? I know what you're thinking but I'm not letting you give up" He grabbed her hand and then she was back on her feet.

"Shall we?" Maria said and the whole team followed.

* * *

They made it to a clear part of the forest after almost an hour. Another small plane was waiting for them. The ramp lowered to reveal a woman inside.

"Why took you so long?" She said when they boarded the jet.

Skye noticed that she kept an eye on her and Grant. He flinched a little and she noticed it too. How could that woman intimidate a man like him? She was very small…

"Hello May" Said Coulson with a smile.

Fitz smiled too and nodded.

"You know when you called me I immediately knew it weren't good news" May said to Maria, while Grant and Skye walked pass her.

"We needed a good pilot, We already lost a plane" Coulson teased and Maria rolled her eyes.

"Very funny, Phil. I should remind you that you were to busy yelling to notice that we had a freaking puppet with us. I mean I would be death now if not for Skye… so thanks"

The ramp was closed and the two women were going to the cockpit.

"I would love to keep chatting with you two but we need to get out of here" Said May with her usual stoic tone.

They locked the door and May sat in the pilot's seat, Maria settled next to her.

"So, you forgot to mention half of the package"

"I figured you wouldn't like it"

"Well, you're the boss. I have to follow your orders" May replied and Maria chuckled.

"In that case I don't want you to kill him"

"Why, you want all the fun for yourself?" May retorted as the jet's engines came to life. Maria buckled her seatbelt.

"He can help" She sighed. "He can calm her. I mean we didn't have him the first time, maybe he can make her stronger"

"Come on…" May started, the plane was already gaining altitude "… you can gamble on romanticism now. We can't afford it"

"It's a theory. I know she's strong on her own but-"

"That doesn't make her less deadly"

"- I know, May, you trained her. My point is…. I just saw something back in the woods. It's a wild assumption and it's a risk… and cheesy as hell but they might be stronger together"

"So you have a plan?" May guessed and Maria nodded. "You wouldn't have taken them in first place if you didn't"

"You're right. We new to get rid of those freaks once and for all"

Now May nodded "So, where are we going?"

"The playground" Maria replied.

* * *

**Opinions?**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: As promised... another chapter, enjoy :)**

* * *

"I need to know where we're headed. Is that ok?" Coulson asked Fitz before going to the cockpit to talk with Hill and May. Fitz just nodded. "Don't make us put the cuffs back" He said to Ward but he wasn't paying much attention. He only had eyes for Skye.

She felt asleep with her head on Grant's lap, completely worn out. He was happy to see her breathing back to normal; at least she would calm down a little and rest. His hand was on her hair and then her arm. She was so cold.

Fitz found a blanket and then walked closer, very slow, like asking for permission. Ward looked at him and nodded, so the scientist covered her with the blanket.

"You shouldn't have tell her"

"She said that she deserved to know"

"She was doing just fine before you told her, Fitz" Grant sounded resentful. He lowered his voice when Skye shifted in her sleep. "She doesn't deserve any of this"

"I know. And I'm sorry I just… We all changed, everything changed I thought I could blame it on Skye but I know it's not her fault" He came back to his place in the row of seats in front of Grant and Skye. "Simmons left because this is not a good life. She deserved a better life… and Tripp knew that, he-"

Ward frowned, "Simmons… left? Where's she?" He was still mad at Fitz but seeing him like that made him feel bad. After everything he had heard he was just scared to ask about Simmons… he came to think that she might be dead but now he knew she wasn't. He remembered how he felt during those years without knowing if Skye was alive, or if he was ever going to see her again.

"She left. After Skye… it was too much for her. Tripp died trying to protect Simmons. And he did but she took the blame. So he took her stuff and left one night… she didn't say goodbye, I mean… she left a letter. It was handwritten, she knew how much I liked her calligraphy… and it was three pages long and-"

"Fitz" Ward said and the engineer looked up, he noticed how Fitz swallowed. "I'm sorry"

"I wish I knew if she's alright"

"I know how you're feeling" He looked down at Skye, his hand still stroking her hair. He took a deep breath. "Not knowing is the worst part. But there's this sense of hope that keeps you going"

"She always knew where to find you" Fitz voice cracked again and he had to swallow the knot on his throat. The whole situation felt familiar in a nostalgic, painful way. Talking to Gran, seeing Skye… the old Skye, sleeping like nothing had ever happened. "She was offended you had accounts everywhere… like she needed any of that to find you· He half smiled "And she asked if she should contact you… so many times" Ward smiled too, without lifting his gaze from her. "Now you know what she did. Don't you feel diff-"

"No" Ward answered without letting Fitz finish his question and then looked at him again "Not for a second. Not when I know what's like to be manipulated into something you're not"

"It's not the same situation"

"I know. But if someone deserves a second chance here, that's her, not me"

"A second chance to do what?"

Ward didn't answer. He wasn't very sure himself. He just wanted her to be happy, and the few days they shared together he got to see the old Skye, the girl that didn't know about monsters and didn't know how to fire a gun. Maybe Simmons was right… this wasn't a good life. He put that bag over Skye's head one day and he just dragged her down to this hell.

* * *

The ramp lowered and they felt the cold air hitting in their faces. Skye shivered in Grant's arms before she opened her eyes. She felt disoriented for a second… then she remembered.

"It's ok" He said when she tried to stand up too quickly. He wrapped the blanket around her.

"Why is it so cold?" She asked hoarsely.

Coulson, Hill and May came out of the cockpit.

"We're here" Announced the director.

"Here, where?" Fitz asked and Coulson sighed, he looked at May and then back at Fitz.

"The playground" Said the commander.

Fitz stood up "Why?" He seemed terrified.

"I'll explain, agent Fitz" Maria said before Coulson could answer. "Let's go. We have a lot of things to do… the place it's been abandoned for a whole year"

* * *

The playground was the place where they started to pick up the pieces. It certainly didn't bring the best memories. That was their main base for months. Fitz still remembered how it all went down after that.

Skye, Ward and Coulson walked pass the others, leaving the engineer with Maria and May, the last one didn't look very pleased.

"I thought you had a plan. I was expecting more… army and less abandoned base"

"I do have a plan, which consist of using a weapon. We're shutting down his powers" May sighed "Debrief in 30 minutes" She ordered and then disappeared down the hallway too.

"You ok?" May startled Fitz when she spoke.

"Eh… me? I'm fine … I'm just fine" He swallowed

"I know how hard it was for you… when Skye-" She added.

"Do you think that she could turn against us again?... or Ward. I really don't know, but neither did I the first time so…" He tried to fake a smile but failed, so he just avoided Melinda's stare.

"It's a possibility, agent Fitz. But this time we're prepared. You did everything you could to give her a second chance, and I think it worked. But if something happens again, we need to be ready to do whatever's necessary"

Fitz nodded. Another painful memory hit him. May had changed… well, both Skye and May changed. Skye got tougher and May seemed more open. They balanced each other when the senior agent became Skye's S.O. and started training her. She could have kill Skye, she had the chance, she had a gun… but she couldn't pull the trigger. Melinda May couldn't pull the trigger, and then a bunch of agents died, including

It wasn't hard just for Fitz.

* * *

Coulson guided Ward and Skye to her old room, her shared room… with Simmons.

"I'm not sure if this is the right call. But we're running out of options. Do this right and earn your freedom"

"I'm pretty sure I already have my freedom. I'm choosing to do this for her"

"I know. Debrief in 30 minutes. I think that you need some time" Coulson said looking at Skye, she hadn't spoken since she woke up. Ward nodded and then the commander left.

"I don't want you to do that" She said when Grant closed the door. She was staring at the floor. "You shouldn't even be here" She mumbled and Grant barely heard it.

"What happened out there?" He asked but he didn't try to get closer. Skye looked so fragile right now. He had never seen her like that. She always irradiated energy and strength but now she looked different.

"He showed me. I remembered… killing those agents"

"What… did you get your memories back?"

She sobbed and didn't answer for a few seconds "No. Just what happened. It happened here. I knew it the moment we stepped inside. I can feel it" She didn't even register when grant moved her to the bed to sit down, but she was suddenly crying against his chest. She couldn't turn it off, her mind kept playing it like a nightmare.

She saw Agent May. They fought and Skye was about to win when the agent took a reached a gun on the floor. She didn't shoot, though, she begged her to listen but she didn't. She knocked her unconscious. Then, with the same gun she killed all of them, one by one as she made her way through the dark hallways. She heard them scream she saw them try to fight but she was stronger.

The last one was another woman. She was young and she was crying and she tried to inject Skye with something while another guy yelled that she should satay away. The woman didn't hear and she was weak but unlike the others she didn't beg for her life, not even when Skye was choking her to death. Then the guy attacked Skye before she could kill the woman, but he didn't last long. None of them were as strong.

She saw all the fights in flashes, all the blood, but it still made enough sense in her mind. And then there was the voice, giving her instructions, telling her what to do, and telling her to come home.

And that same voice told her to remember and she did. How could she fight it?

"Oh God" She shut her eyes close and pressed her face harder against his chest "Make it stop" Her fist clenched the fabric of his t-shirt and he felt his heart breaking just by seeing her like that.

"I'm so sorry. I swear I would do anything to make it stop… I know… you know that I'm not a genius like Fitz or Simmons… or you. I don't understand these things… all I know is how to fight, how to throw a punch and don't get shot" He moved his hand up and down her back soothingly "But I do know that you're special. I knew it the moment I first saw you and you taught me that I could love somebody. It doesn't take a genius to know that you can fight it. All I can do is be here, stand by your side and I'll do it. So please, don't say that I shouldn't be here because here's exactly where I belong"

She heard it all. It certainly helped to focus on his words and his warmth and the rise and fall of his chest instead of the horrible images in her mind.

"I still can't remember you. But I know that I love you too"

Skye didn't move but she felt his arms around her, pressing her tighter against him and she just felt home, like every time that she was in his arms.

"I_ love_ you" Skye repeated, like she was trying to make a point. She never let go off his t-shirt but her body did relax a little. "I just… don't want you to… what if I…"

"You won't"

"Grant, I need to know everything" She finally pulled back to look at him. "I need to know exactly how it happened. I need to know what to do"

"Ok. We'll ask them. Are you feeling ok to go to debrief?"

Skye nodded and took a deep breath, her eyes were red and a little swollen but she had her spark again. She looked determined. "If I'm going to do this I need to know what I'm up against"

"We" He took her hand and kissed it.

"We…" She half smiled "I guess I already saw the worst part anyway"

He smiled at her but didn't say anything.

"What?" Skye asked a little confused.

"Nothing… it's nice to hear the old you"

"The old-" She was cut in midsentence when Grant grabbed her face with his hands and pulled her in a soft kiss. Even when it took her by surprise she kissed him back, leaning forward and closer to him.

It didn't feel rushed. It was slow and careful. His thumbs rubbed her cheeks and wiped away the trails of the tears that she had cried before.

"I love you too" He said against her lips and she could forget about all the pain and the bad memories for a second. It was just she and Grant and the most perfect kiss she'd ever had.

* * *

**That's all for today...and a big reveal is coming!**


End file.
